Mary (Mueller) Matthis

Mary M. (Mueller) Matthis, 91, of Fithian, died on February 9, 2026 at home.

Mary was devoted to her children, Marianne Reid (Ken), Chris Matthis (Patti), Debbie Richardson (David Barkley), Jeff Matthis (Kim), Craig Matthis (Michele), Dawn Coddington (Brett), and Jodi Prosser-Muller (Mark Muller), 25 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband B.J. "Jim", parents Robert & Margaret Mueller, brothers Bob Jr. and Jim Mueller, sisters-in-law Neeta Jones Mueller, Nancy Mueller, and Val Mueller, son Chris Matthis, son-in-law Ken Reid, daughters-in-law Patti & Renee Matthis, grandson Justin Lee Matthis, and great-grandson Morgan Preston-Muller. 

Mary worked at Eisner’s in accounting after graduating from Champaign HS in 1952, and was very active in the USO, where she taught dance lessons and provided entertainment for airmen at Chanute AFB, and where she met her husband Jim. She worked as a bookkeeper for her brothers' construction business until she and Jim bought a donut shop in Villa Grove in the 1970's (J&M Village Donut), eventually selling it and moving back to Champaign, where Mary worked at The Credit Bureau, and in banking (she was Busey's first ever employee of the year) until she retired to care for family members. She loved collecting lighthouses and clowns (she even met Emmett Kelly as a young girl), traveling, particularly to Wisconsin Dells, where they owned a timeshare, playing cards and baking "the perfect brownie" with her grandchildren, gatherings with family and friends, especially at her son Jeff's house on the lake, lunches with former classmates, going to swing dances with her daughter, Debbie at the Illini Swing Society, and participating in theatre productions with her daughter Jodi, who cared for her in later years. 

Visitation will be from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 18, at Owens Funeral Home, 101 N. Elm St., Champaign. The rosary service will begin at 7:45pm. The Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, February 19, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 405 W. Clark St., Champaign. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery, Urbana. Lunch will follow the burial at St. Peters UCC, 905 S. Russell St., Champaign.  

Memorial contributions can be made in Mary’s name to The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the American Diabetes Association, Holy Cross School, or DLO Musical Theatre. 

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