Sheila Mary Herzberg was born in Valley City, ND, the youngest of three children, and lived on the family farm while attending school there. After graduating high school in 1937, she attended the Kahler Hospital School of Nursing, associated with the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN, to obtain her Registered Nursing degree. It was in Rochester that she met her husband, Joseph (Joe) Jerome Matulys, and they married in 1944. The family lived first in Lewistown, MT, and later moved to California where Sheila worked as a nurse while earning a B.S. degree at Lone Mountain College, part of the University of San Francisco. In 1955, they moved to Helena, MT, where she took a fifth year at Carroll College and was hired to teach biology at Helena High School. In 1966 she and Joe moved to Wenatchee, WA, where Sheila taught English Literature for 15 years. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Washington, Ellensburg, she was the district Language Coordinator for East Wenatchee Schools. She retired and returned to Helena after her husband’s death.
Sheila was predeceased by her husband Joe in 1982, and her two brothers, Stuart and Trevor of Valley City, ND. She is survived by her son, Joel T. Matulys (Kathy) of Savannah, GA, her grandson Trevor Matulys (Summer Lillie) and great granddaughter, Eleanor Matulys, all of Durham, NC, and six nieces and their families, who were very dear to her.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral, 511 North Park. A reception will follow the memorial in the social hall of the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Peter’s Cathedral Memorial Fund, 511 N. Park, Helena, MT 59601. Please visit below to give condolences or share a memory of Sheila
Barbara Lasko Hopper says
Mrs. Matulys!! Helena HIgh, 1961-62 biology class. Two students share a high table. Dissection time….frog? cat? (I hope not!). My partner (sorry, can’t remember his/her name) had to do it all…I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I think my final grade for the year was a C- or D+ Biology wasn’t for me…Mrs. Matulys was tough but fair. Knew her subject…. She lived a long and eventful life. 55th reunion is coming up in 2019…hard to believe I took her class more than 50 years ago…
Deborah Johnson says
I am just seeing Mrs. Matulys’ obituary in 2021, having just Googled her as I was invoking her name in a work-related item on grammar. I was in her class at Eastmont back in the late 70s (in the “old” HS) & have always remembered her. She “hired” me the following year to type her “masters” for those old mimeographed handouts! She is the only reason I know how to diagram sentences & while I haven’t literally written one out in a long time, I use that skill to unsnarl & rewrite complicated thoughts so that people can understand them. Gone but not forgotten. ~RIP~