Donald Eugene Mattson 

1934 - 2009 Donald Eugene Mattson passed away at his home from 
brain cancer on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, into the arms of his 
loving Savior Jesus Christ. He was born to DeWitt and Helen 
Mattson on May 19, 1934, in Chatsworth, CA. The family moved to 
Buttonwillow, CA, where Donald entered kindergarten. His family 
owned a cotton farm where he learned a good work ethic and to fix 
just about anything. He graduated from Bakersfield High School in 
Bakersfield, CA, in 1953, and from Bakersfield College in 1955. 
He earned a Master's degree from the University of California, 
Davis in 1957, and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the 
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis in 
1959. While at Davis, he was active in Intervarsity Christian 
Fellowship. Donald married Jackie Price in Bakersfield on 
December 22, 1959, and was then commissioned into the Veterinary 
Corps of the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant. He served two years 
in the Department of Veterinary Virology at Walter Reed Army 
Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. After the service, he 
returned to school and earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Science 
(Virology) from Washington State University in Pullman, WA. He 
was a professor at Oregon State University for 39 years, teaching 
Immunology and some graduate classes, and was the director of the 
virology section of the Oregon State Diagnostic Laboratory. 
Donald was also an adviser for veterinary students for many 
years, and served on the selection committee for the School of 
Veterinary Medicine. He was an adviser for Christian Veterinary 
Missions at OSU. Donald retired June 1, 2003. He had many 
interests, and cooking for his family was one of his favorites. 
Other interests included raising marionberries and boysenberries, 
woodworking and fishing. He loved helping his children and 
grandchildren with building/repair projects. Most of his 
retirement was lovingly spent studying prophecy in the Bible. One 
of the highlights of his retirement was a trip to Israel, a 
lifelong dream. Donald was preceded in death by his parents and 
his brother, Roy Mattson. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, 
Jackie Mattson; two sons, Steven D. Mattson and his wife Corina, 
and children, Karisa, Steven, Leah and Alex, and Daniel E. 
Mattson and his wife Anne Marie, and daughters, Sydney, Taylor 
and Riley; and a daughter, Tricia Mattson Lord, her husband 
Steven, and children, Andrew and Hannah. He is also survived by 
three sisters, Phyllis McClure and Doris Barnes and her husband 
Kendall of Bakersfield, and Christine Bruhn and her husband John 
of Davis, CA; two sisters-in-law, Patricia Miller, and her 
husband Odie of Bakersfield, and Marilyn Mattson of West Palm 
Beach, FL; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial 
service will take place at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 4, at 
Calvary Chapel of Corvallis, 2125 N.W. Lester Ave., in Corvallis, 
OR. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to 
Calvary Chapel or Benton Hospice Service, in Corvallis, OR. 

Published in Bakersfield Californian on September 2, 2009