Myrtle Mary Mattey

Myrtle Mary Mattey (affectionately known as "Myrt") passed away, surrounded by family and
under hospice care, on July 4, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida, following a brief illness.
Myrt was born on September 11, 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio, to the late Oscar Paul Ruffing, Sr.
and Myrtle Stephany Ruffing. She grew up in Cleveland and Upper Arlington, Ohio and
graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 1947. A member of Chi Omega Sorority,
while attending The Ohio State University in the College of Home Economics, she married the
love of her life, George John Mattey, in 1949.
After leaving her studies at Ohio State, Myrt put them to great use, as she and George
welcomed seven children in their home over a period of thirteen years. Her children
remember her as an extraordinary loving and kind wife and mother. Myrt would, without
hesitation, take on any task to help her family grow and prosper. She always had a smile for
one and all.
Myrt was an accomplished seamstress who as a young woman won numerous sewing
contests. She began sewing as a child, making her own clothes at the age of five. In her family life, Myrt
made clothing for her husband and children. She sewed several wedding and bridesmaids'
dresses, as well as her girls' first communion dresses with matching dresses for their Barbie
dolls. Each year she would create from her imagination elaborate Halloween costumes for
trick-or-treating. She also crafted household items such as curtains and upholstery.
Myrt's expertise extended to creating the design for her dream home, building a dock at her
first vacation home and a deck at another. Her household decorations, especially during the
Christmas season, were popular with her community of friends. The centerpiece was a koi
pond, which was especially enjoyed by the many children who visited her home. The kitchen
contained a popcorn machine that was so widely known that Myrt was known as "the popcorn
lady."
Aside from her many domestic accomplishments, Myrt had a passionate love for Ohio State
football. When she met George, he was a varsity member of the Ohio State football team,
which won the Rose Bowl during the first year of their marriage. Knowing nothing about
football at the time, she learned quickly, and after George's graduation accompanied him to
every Ohio State game, whether they lived in Columbus or Steubenville in Ohio, or then on
Amelia Island, 800 miles away. She enjoyed driving her big van to the game and setting up
well-attended tailgate parties before the games. A member of The Buckeye Club, after
George passed away she kept the traditions alive by continuing to go to games and tailgates,
while wearing her Ohio State clothing on every football Saturday.
Myrt was a member of the Amelia Island Pelican Club, serving as President in 1995. She and
George hosted players in the nearby Bausch + Lomb women's tennis matches. She also took
classes with Amelia Island Club's aqua aerobics program, hosting its annual Christmas party
a number of times. Myrt was an active member of Saint Michael's Catholic Church in
Fernandina Beach and the Amelia Island Plantation Chapel on the island.
She was the last of her immediate family to pass away. In addition to her, George and her
parents, during her lifetime she lost her brother, Oscar Paul Ruffing, Jr., and her two sisters,
Rosemary Kennedy Miller and Anne Marie Newcomb.
Myrt leaves behind her children, George J. (Tsuilin) Mattey II, of Davis, California; Susan
Spicer, of Hilliard, Ohio; Nancy Beth Mattey, of Medina, Ohio; Shelley (Doug) Corbett, of
Yulee, Florida; Rebecca (Larry) Hedges, of Jacksonville, Florida; Gretchen (Steve) Koch, of
Upper Arlington, Ohio and Thomas (Christy) Mattey, of Medina Ohio; grandchildren,
Jessica (Daniel) Hedges Hoisington, Robert Mattey Spicer, Thomas Mattey, and Michael
Mattey.
Memorial services will be at 11:00 A.M. on August 22 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 201
North Fourth Street, Fernandina Beach, Florida. A reception after the service will be held at
the Parish Hall of St. Michael's Church.
Myrt will be laid to rest in the Amelia Plantation Chapel Columbarium.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in her memory to: The Federation of Community,
Hospice and Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32225.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
OXLEY-HEARD FUNERAL DIRECTORS