Leonard "Len" Lee Matthys

Leonard "Len" Matthys, 88, of Willmar, died Sunday, October 27, 2024, at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 2, at the Church of St. Mary in Willmar and will be streamed at www.ourlivingwater.org/lenmatthys.  Interment with military honors will be at St. Clotilde Catholic Cemetery in Green Valley.  Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Friday, November 1, at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar with a 3:30 pm Knights of Columbus Rosary and a 7:00 pm Prayer Service.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to the Mass at the church on Saturday.  In lieu of flowers, memorials in Len’s name are preferred to the following organizations: Alzheimer’s Association, Friends of San Lucas, CentraCare - Gorecki Guest House. 

Leonard Lee Matthys was born on June 9, 1936, on a farm in Stanley Township, Lyon County, near Cottonwood, Minnesota.  He was the third of six children of Carvinus and Mary (Bossuyt) Matthys.  Len attended grade schools at District 34 and District 75 and graduated from Marshall Public High School in 1954.  He was drafted and served in the U. S. Army from 1955 to 1956.  He attended the seminary at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, from 1957 to 1958.  He farmed one year, returned to college and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, in 1961.  Following graduation, he joined the U. S. Border Patrol in Port Isabel, Texas, and graduated from the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in 1962.  During his time with the Border Patrol, Len quickly became highly proficient with a pistol and was classified as a Master Pistol Shooter in many of the Quarterly Qualification Shoots.  J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, offered him a position as a Special Agent and he was sworn into the FBI on January 25, 1965, and later graduated from the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.  He was proud that his name was inscribed on a wall at the FBI Academy, as one of the few FBI Agents in the history of the FBI that fired a perfect score in the Practical Pistol Course qualifications.  Because of his high proficiency in Spanish, he was selected to attend the Advanced Spanish Course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.  While in the FBI, Len studied for his master’s degree at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.  In 1970, he became a Firearms and Defensive Tactics Instructor to provide training for police and sheriff departments throughout the state.  Because of his outstanding marksmanship skills, Len was also a sniper on one of the FBI SWAT Teams.  After retiring from the FBI, he worked as a welfare fraud investigator for Kandiyohi County and did some private investigating. 

On June 20, 1964, he was united in Holy Matrimony to Mary Kay Woelfle at Marshall, Minnesota.  After they were married, they lived in California, Virginia, Texas, South Dakota and then the last 50 years in Willmar, Minnesota.  Len was a very devoted member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church with a strong Christian faith that he and Kay established within their children and grandchildren. God and family were prioritized.  Len was very proud to be 100% Belgian. He was blessed to visit Belgium multiple times to meet his Belgian relatives.  He was very proud of his family heritage and was the family historian for both sides of his family.  He loved activities with his family and relatives, camping, hunting, shooting sports, and riding motorcycle. He was very active in a number of charitable organizations and clubs including: American Legion, Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Elks, Knights of Columbus (4th Degree), and Owls.

Len is survived by his wife and best friend, Kay, of 60 years.  He is also survived by his son, Russ (Missy) Matthys of Apple Valley, Minnesota; daughters, Rita (Brian) Jorgenson of Montevideo, Minnesota, and Renee (Jeff) Barker of Brandon, South Dakota.  Papa Len is also survived by his cherished grandchildren:  Lissa and Isaac Matthys; Mathea Jorgenson; and Ryan and Reese Barker.  Also surviving are his brother, Eddie (Connie) Matthys of Durango. Colorado; and sister, Mary Ellen (Ron) Hodapp of Libertyville, Illinois; and many adored nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Duane (Frances) Matthys of Marshall, Minnesota; Denis (Bonnie) Matthys of Cottonwood, Minnesota; and Bernard (Mary) Matthys of Apple Valley, Minnesota; and three nieces and a nephew.

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