Chester James Matula

Chester James Matula

Chester James Matula (91) passed away peacefully on November 27, 2020.  He was born on August 21, 1929 in Wharton, Texas to the late Edward and Helen Matula. 

Mr. Matula is survived by his son, Michael (Mike) Matula and wife Sherrie, of Houston; daughter, Brenda Gyurich of Richmond; daughter Laura Kacal and husband, Roy, of Richmond; and son,, and Timothy Matula and his wife, Martha of Houston.  He is also survived by his grandchildren Melody Presswood, Michele Hayes, Brandon Gyurich, Nancy Raley, Brittany Herrlein, Lacey Meyers; and great granddaughters Kaylem Raley, Isabella Hayes, Olivia Hayes, Lily Presswood and Ava Presswood.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Lila Faye “Polly” Matula and sisters Mary Zahradnik, Helen Pavlicek, Carrie Mae Jurek, and Ida Mae Allen.

Chester met his wife, Lila Faye “Polly” Butter in 1950 and was married in Wharton on December 18, 1950. He worked as a paint and body man for the local Ford dealership until he retired at aged 65.  He also served as a volunteer fireman for many years serving the city of Wharton.

Chester enjoyed hunting and fishing.  He loved his trips to the casinos and playing bingo.  He loved dancing, especially polkas, as well as gardening.  He worked on jigsaw and word search puzzles and played “Bejeweled” intently on his computer and phone.  Chester enjoyed spending lots of time playing dominos and other games at the Wharton County Senior Citizen Center at WCJC while socializing with his fellow senior citizens.

Chester will be missed dearly by family and friends.  He was always there with a helping hand.  He had a love of the local sports teams – Astros, Rockets and Texans.

A funeral mass will be celebrated with the rite of committal and his burial at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Wharton County Junior College Senior Citizen Program, 911 Boling Hwy., Wharton, TX  77488 listing Mr. Matula’s name in the memo section of the check.