Bernice Marie (Fossum) Maattala

Bernice Marie Maattala, 94, of Rice River Township, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024 at Aitkin Health Services.  She was born October 21, 1929 in Thor, MN. the daughter of Ingebrigt and Margaret (Myhr) Fossum and was the youngest of eleven children.  She attended grade school in Thor and graduated from Aitkin High School in 1948.  After working in Minneapolis for a couple of years, Bernice returned home to marry Alfred W. Maattala on September 8, 1951 at Zion Lutheran Church in Thor.  They lived on Alfred’s family farm in Rice River Township and worked hard to create a successful dairy operation. They liked harvesting wild rice, planting trees, picking princess pine, making wooden crafts and went on several trips over the years. Bernice enjoyed friends and family stopping by, she always had the coffee pot on and treats to share. She also participated in the Rice River Seniors Club. After years of farming, they moved to a smaller home in the area. Bernice met her longtime partner, Robert Hess several years after Alfred passed away. They participated in bocce ball and bean bag leagues, danced at Larson’s Barn and traveled to Arizona and New Mexico for the winters. Bernice’s most recent hobbies were coloring, playing bingo, working on crafts and playing cards. Her favorite past time throughout her life was looking out the window. It didn’t matter if she saw cows, deer, birds, cars or trucks, she enjoyed seeing them all and would tell us all about it. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Alfred in 1989, longtime partner Robert Hess in 2016, 6 brothers and 4 sisters.  Bernice is survived by her daughter and son-in-law: Debra Maattala and Thomas Schutz of McGregor, and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral Service will be 11:00am – Monday, September 30, 2024 at Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home in Aitkin.  Pastor Scott Stinson will be the officiant.  Visitation will be 5 to 7pm – Sunday, September 29 at the funeral home and will continue 1 hour prior to the service.  Burial will be in Saron Cemetery, Dam Lake – Aitkin.  Memorials are preferred to Rice River Senior Club.  To leave a message of condolence, please go to www.srtfuneral.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bernice Marie (Fossum) Maattala, please visit our floral store.