Shirley (Johnson Phillips) Matticks, formerly from Seward, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 24, 2021.
Shirley was born March 17, 1927, in Lincoln, to C. Sheldon (Ike) and Gertrude (Donner) Johnson. Shirley attended school through her junior year in Crete and graduated from Beatrice High School her senior year in 1945. Shirley worked for “Storkraft” in Beatrice during World War II, helping in the manufacture of airplanes for the war effort. Shirley was united in marriage on Nov. 25, 1946, in Sterling, Colorado, to Donald D. Phillips. Don and Shirley lived in Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming until Don’s death in Cody, Wyoming, on June 5, 1971. Shirley and her son, Douglas, returned to Crete to care for her parents on their small acreage south of Crete until her parents moved to Centennial Terrace in Crete. Shirley continued caring for her parents there until their deaths. While living in Crete, Shirley worked for the Montgomery Ward catalog store, City Bank and Pamida. Shirley enjoyed making decorative items out of everyday items, she had the ability to see something where others saw little. She was also an avid collector of rocks and driftwood. Shirley never met a cat that she didn’t like and enjoyed sharing a good joke. Shirley was married to Robert Matticks on June 10, 1987, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and lived in Fairfield for a period of time before returning to Crete.
Survivors include her son, Douglas D. Phillips and his wife Teresa of Chattanooga, Tennessee; daughter-in-law, Debby Phillips of Cheyenne Wyoming; and step-children, Rick (Becky) Matticks of Hastings, Janice (Kevin) Sherman of Glenvil and Joanna (Matticks) Hinrichs of Fairfield. Shirley is also survived by her grandchildren, Donald (Selina) Phillips, Brian (Sommer) Phillips, Jennifer (Tré) Harris, Joseph and Samuel Matticks, Kayin Lovgren, Karson and Karlee Sherman, Cassidy (Austin) Stroda, and Rami and Mason Hinrichs; great-grandchildren, Sheldon, Ethan, Jackson, Sydney, Parker, Olivia, John Henry, Sarah, Brooklyn and Bristol. She leaves behind loving nieces and nephews in Nebraska and Colorado as well as the friends she’s met throughout her life. Preceded in death by husbands Donald D. Phillips and Robert Matticks; son, Terry; sisters, Patricia (Johnson) Preston, Marge (Johnson) Preston; and brother Glenn Johnson.
Shirley was a member of the Crete Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of the VFW Auxiliary and a member of the American Legion.
Cremation has taken place with interment in the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Lincoln. Memorial contributions are suggested to Aging Partners of Lincoln at 1005 “O” St, Lincoln, NE 68508; Tabitha Hospice at 205 S. Lincoln Ave #101, York, NE 68467 or the Care Team at Kinship Pointe at 500 Heartland Park Drive, Seward, NE 68434. Condolences may be left for the family at www.kunclfh.com.
