Bruce Harold Mattson

PALMER, Alaska - Bruce Harold Mattson, 73, of Willow, passed away on May 15, 2016, at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, surrounded by his family, due to complications from vascular aneurysms.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, May 26, at 3 p.m., at ACF Church, 16620 Brooks Loop, Eagle River, Alaska.

Bruce was born on Oct. 6, 1942, in Ironwood, Mich., to Everett and Margaret (Nelson) Mattson. He graduated from Bessemer High School before receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Michigan Technological University, where he held honors as a member of the Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu Honor Societies. Bruce met his soulmate, Karen, on June 30, 1963, at Sunday Lake in Wakefield, Mich. Bruce and Karen married in 1964 and had five beautiful children together.

After college, Bruce worked for the Electrical Engineering Department at Standard Oil of California in San Francisco. The family then moved to the South Pacific, where he worked for Global Associates in the Engineering Department at the United States Army Missile Test Site, on Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands.

In July of 1968, Bruce and Karen moved to Alaska, where Bruce worked as an engineer for the Alaska Air Command, Elmendorf Air Force Base, 21st Civil Engineering Squadron, Engineering and Construction Branch, Electrical Unit. He then worked as an electrical engineer and estimator at Rogers Electric in Anchorage, before opening his own electrical engineering firm, Bruce H. Mattson, P.E., Electrical Consultant, in 1975. With dedication to his clients, he built a solid reputation as a consultant with strong engineering ethics and provided a wide range of electrical engineering services on projects throughout the state of Alaska for more than 40 years. He was a registered professional electrical engineer in Alaska, Hawaii and California.

Bruce was a dedicated and loyal husband, father and grandfather. While living in Alaska, he built two custom homes and a cabin. Bruce enjoyed sharing Alaskan adventures with his family, including fishing, camping, hunting, boating, snow machining and target shooting. He was a gun enthusiast and a certified scuba diver. Bruce was a private pilot and loved flying his airplanes. If he wasn't flying, you could find him exploring the country with Karen in their motorhome.

Bruce is survived by his wife, Karen Mattson, of Willow; daughters, Sheri Mattson Brauneis (Paul), Krisi Mattson and Terri (Mattson) Norene; sons, Steven Mattson (Kim), and Dale Mattson (Cheri); brothers, Brian Mattson, Art Mattson and Mark Mattson; sister, Sue Immich; and grandchildren, Connor, Shelby, Trevor, Jonathan, Ashley, Martin, Alexis, Andrew and Dawson.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Anchorage International Rotary Club, P.O. Box 100516, Anchorage, AK 99510, or the Eagle River Area Rotary Club, P.O. Box 771992, Eagle River, AK 99577, in memory of Bruce H. Mattson.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at alaskacremation.com.