William "Bill" Leonard Matthaei's Obituary
William “Bill” Leonard Matthaei passed away peacefully on June 5, 2024 in Fargo, ND.
Bill was born on April 30, 1947 in Tacoma, WA to Charles and Helen Matthaei and grew up in the Puget Sound area with his two younger brothers, Fred (Dianne) and Dick (Marcia). In 1965, he graduated from Peninsula High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington. Bill completed a year of graduate study in Cereal Science at North Dakota State University before serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy at a command in Iceland. He then left the military and started working in the sales and marketing department at the Roman Meal Company where he represented the 4th generation of the Matthaei family baking legacy in the U.S. He married Joan Gustafson in 1980 and together they welcomed two children, Elizabeth (Dan) and Peter (Crystal), and five grandkids, Caroline, Madeline, Michael, William and John. As opportunities grew with Roman Meal Milling Company in Fargo, Bill fell in love with North Dakota and eventually made it his permanent residence. Today, Dakota Milling and Blending (DakotaMB) operates in Fargo and St. Louis and is a testament to Bill’s leadership in the family milling and blending business. In 2023, the Prairie Family Business Association recognized Bill and Peter, the 5th generation of the Matthaei baking legacy, with the Edward Shorma Excellence in Family Business Award for their exemplary stewardship of DakotaMB.
Bill was well respected for his steadfast integrity, devotion and courage in all aspects of his life. His Christian faith was deepened at Prairie Heights Church. As an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Bill invested in protecting wildlife habitat. He loved steelhead fishing on the Sol Duc River, pheasant hunting with his black labs in North Dakota, biking over Washington mountain passes in the Courage Classic, going out on Leech Lake for the 4th of July fireworks and touring national parks with his family. When diagnosed with plasma cell leukemia in 2008, he pursued treatment with extreme tenacity and underwent two stem cell transplants. As a 16 year survivor, Bill was an inspiration to countless people, especially those fighting the same disease. Like Theodore Roosevelt, a man deeply admired by Bill, said, “It is not the critic that counts…The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” Bill will be remembered as a man that never walked away from a challenge, but instead he consistently persevered and he is tremendously missed. A celebration of Bill's life will be held at Praise Covenant Church on June 29th at 11 AM.
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