L. Jeffrey Mattern

A prominent civic leader and retired fire protection engineer succumbed on December
20, 2024 to the long term effects of Parkinson disease. Born February 7, 1947, Jeff
Mattern was 77 years old when he passed away at his Newport home with his family by
his side. He is survived by his wife of fifty-six years Sharon (Shari) Taylor Mattern,
daughters Tara L. Mattern and Megan E. Mattern, grandchildren Connor Jeffery
Kettoman, Kayden E. Kettoman and Mason R. Gutshall, and a brother John Reighter
and his family.
Jeff was the son of Luther and Virginia Mattern of Newport, where he spent the first
eight years of his life, before the family relocated to Harrisburg. The new home was
only three doors away from the Riverside Fire Department. The location was fortuitous
for his future as young Jeff was welcomed by the firemen and given the job of raising
and lowering the American flag for the station. In 1965, he graduated from William
Penn High School.
After two years at the Harrisburg Community College (HACC), he and his bride in 1968
traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma where Jeff majored in Fire Protection Engineering at
Oklahoma State University. He underwrote living and college expenses by serving as a
fireman when not in classes. Upon graduation in 1970, he joined the company that
became FM Global as a Loss Prevention Consultant. In 1982, he acquired an advanced
degree in risk management and insurance from Elizabethtown College. Later in his
career he would pass along these skills at HACC.
Almost unique for his generation, he remained with one company, F.M. Global, for his
entire career. As a leader in his specialty, he served on many professional boards,
helping establish safety standards for world-wide industries. At his retirement in 2005,
over one hundred engineers were reporting to him. He delighted in his craft, often
remarking that he "Never worked a day in his life."
There were numerous transfers during his career, but with the passing of his mother,
Shari and he moved to the Newport family home in 1998. As he had in other localities,
he immersed himself in community activities and until illness struck in the early 2020s,
astoundingly he had served on twenty or more local and regional not-for-profits.
To name only a few agencies, his management and financial skills were utilized by the
Newport lions Club, the Perry County Literacy Council, the 2020 Bicentennial
Committee, the Historical Society of Perry County, his church and regionally the
Foundation for Enhancing Communities and the Homeland Center for Assisted Living.
He not only provided leadership, but along with his wife Shari, was a philanthropist
raising money and donating generously to many causes including the athletic program
at Penn State.
Jeff has been described as one of the community's gentlemen, the only person who
dressed in a coat and tie just to pick up his mail at the post office followed by a lingering
coffee at a local cafe. He was soft spoken, never heard to raise his voice, mild
mannered at home and in society. He had vision, integrity and lived a large life of
service to others in both his career and retirement. At his passing, ever thoughtful, he
continued to give to others, willing his brain to Parkinson's research.
A private family grave side service was held December 28 th at the Newport Cemetery
where he lies adjacent to his parents. A Celebration of his well-lived Life will be held at
the Highland Presbyterian Church, 11 Church Road, Newport, on Saturday, January 4, 2025. Visitation at 10 a.m.
will be followed by a remembrance service 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family advises that memorial gifts may be made to the Newport Lions Club
Fund in care of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, 8 th floor, 200 N. 3 rd St., Harrisburg,
Pa 17101, The Perry County Literacy Council, P.O Box 37, Newport, PA 17074, The Friends of
Clarks Ferry Tavern, P.O. Box 184, Duncannon, PA 17020 or the Historical Society of Perry
County, P.O. Box 47, Landisburg, PA 17040.
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