Cassidy Jacob Mattson died peacefully on April 12, 2026, at age 81. He was from Virginia, MN, formerly from Stillwater, MN. His death occurred from respiratory and heart failure while recovering from a hospital stay at Guardian Angels Rehabilitation facility in Hibbing, MN.

Cassidy was born on July 25, 1944, to Nels and Lorraine Mattson of Baldwin, WI. He was named after his father’s favorite radio show of Hopalong Cassidy, and his siblings called him Cass. He grew up on a farm in Afton Township south of Stillwater, MN. He went to Afton-Lakeland Elementary and graduated in 1962 from Stillwater High School, Stillwater, MN.

Cass married Marilee Brunell in 1973, and they raised her two children, Tracie from age seven and Jayme from age four. They lived on a farm west of Stillwater, MN, where they enjoyed raising donkeys and other farm animals. Cass worked for 30 years as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service. He also owned a tree cutting business that caused him a few injuries. He was a talented carpenter and stone mason. He designed and built a beautiful house with stacked rock décor that is next door to the farm with the help of his brother Jon and other family and friends. They lived there for over ten years and after losing their son Jayme and Cass’s parents, they retired and moved to the parent’s property in Wuori Township north of Virginia, MN.

Cass was an avid nature lover with the talent of making wood carvings of ducks and other birds. He enjoyed farm life, gardening, birdwatching, antique and rock collecting, hunting, and fishing. He also loved going on vacations with his wife to the beaches in Mexico. In his later years, his favorite pastime was feeding and watching the chickadees and other birds, caring for his rabbits, watching the deer and other wildlife while sitting in the sun on his porch just listening to the whisper of the breeze through the endless amount of Balsam Fir and other trees. He loved playing word games and trivia while listening to the Blues or his favorite singer, Bob Dylan.

Cass was also an avid reader of a variety of materials that were mostly provided by his family, such as mystery novels from his sister Dolores, books and online articles about birds and butterflies from his sister Jessica, as well as nature and science magazines from his brother Jonathan. He also enjoyed reading his Bible and would read even with eye problems such as once having a damaged retina which didn’t stop his reading as he would read with just one eye.

Cass was a beloved brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend. He was especially close to his cousin Calvin Potter who was the only relative living nearby and worked hard along with his wife Gail and their family members to care for Cass’s personal and property needs for several years. He will be dearly missed by them as well as many others.

Cassidy was survived by his stepdaughter, Tracie Pavel of Hudson, WI; sister, Jessica Dumas of Black Canyon City, AZ; sister, Dolores (Richard) King of New Richmond, WI; brother, Jonathan (Roxan) Mattson of Stillwater, MN; sister, Debra (Ray) Fort of Virginia, MN; aunt, Carol Stickle of Watertown, SD; niece, Angela Rose of New Richmond, WI; nephews, David (Amber) King of Arlington, TX; Walter Dumas of Black Canyon City, AZ; Eric (Cecelia) Dumas of Phelan, CA; Jacob Fort of Lyme, CT; Quentin (Cayla) Fort of Stafford, VA; ex-wife Marilee Mattson of Tower, MN; grandchildren Crystal, Tyler, and Adam Pavel; and seven great-grandchildren; as well as many cousins and other relatives and friends.

Cassidy was preceded in death by his stepson, Jayme Brunell; his mother, Lorraine Mattson; his father, Nels Mattson; his brother, Walter Mattson; his niece, Lorissa Joyner; his aunt, Elvina Potter; his great niece, Anyah Dumas, and his brother-in-law, James Gault. 

Cassidy’s wishes were to be cremated which was handled by Landmark Funeral Home, Virginia, MN. The spreading of his ashes and any memorial services to be held privately by his family.

Special memories of Cass:

Cousin Cal remembers Cass as having a warm heart and being a lover of nature. Cass loved hiking through the forest and saw the beauty of the wildest looking trees. He appreciated the various sounds of nature within the forest around him. He brought the outdoors inside when he relaxed with Blues music, and he had a curious mind that loved trivia.

Stepdaughter Tracie remembers that Cass was a real dad to her and her brother Jayme and that Cass was more important to them than their biological father. She loved how he called her “Little Girl” even as an adult and thought he was a very kind, enlightening, and fun dad. She remembers all the fun they had on the farm and the many adventures they had such as camping or fishing.

Grandchildren Crystal, Tyler, and Adam always called Cass “Boppy,” and Crystal loved his nickname for her of “Twist.” They fondly remember how he taught them how to whittle wood at a young age. They loved that he took them all on the gravel back roads to teach them how to drive.

Ex-wife Marilee remembers how much they loved gardening together and doing remodeling on the farmhouse in Stillwater. Ever since she got together with Cass, he would say that her children and her were a “packaged deal.”

Sister-in-law Barbara fondly remembers how Cass and family enjoyed gardening at the farm and how Cass would pick tomatoes to make the best homemade pizzas.

Brother Jon (and Roxan) along with sister Dolores (and Dick) with her sugar cookies, have fond memories of their annual journey 200 miles to visit with Cass and sister Debra and her family.

Niece Lorissa looked forward to summer vacations during her grade school days so she could spend time with Cass and his family. She had fond memories of the fun times she had with Jayme and Tracie who were her favorite cousins. She remembered Cass as “Papa Bear” and always claimed that he was more of a dad to her than her biological father. When living in Arizona, she missed his big bear hugs.

Nephews Walter and Eric will never forget riding Cass’s donkeys and other fun things on the farm. Eric feels that Cass’s farm was instrumental in him and his wife purchasing countryside property in California where they care for a variety of farm animals and eventually plan to own donkeys. Walt also was inspired by the farm as he loves growing various plants and wants to someday be a farmer. Another fond memory they both have was when they went to visit their “Unc” on the farm at age 8 and 9 and their dad (Robert Dumas) rented a small one-engine airplane to take Cass on his first plane ride. While in the air, they laughed at “Unc” who was so excited he kept shouting “Wow, look at that!”

Sister Jessica remembers Cass as a tough guy who didn’t give up easily and he believed that his word games, trivia, and reading kept him from getting dementia in his later years. He would tell her he never wanted to forget his memories of his brother Walter who died when Cass was almost six and Jessica was only two. She has only one memory of Walter being with Cass and her under a tent which she learned later was a sheet placed over Cass’s bed to help him breathe during asthma attacks. She loved how Cass took her under his wing after Walter’s death which caused them to be close throughout life. He liked her calling him “Big Bro” and he would call her “Lil’ Sis.” Jessica loved when Cass would sing to her Bob Dylan’s song “Oh Sister” except that now it makes her sad as it ends with “Time is an ocean, but it ends at the shore; You may not see me tomorrow.” Many loved ones have regrets that the ‘tomorrow’ has come but they will forever hold Cass dear in their hearts.

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