Mattie Wallace

Mattie Wallace

Sunrise: June 9, 1946    |    Sunset: June 24, 2025

Mattie Wallace, a loving mother, grandmother, and proud member of her community, passed away at the age of 79. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in a small country home with the help of a midwife. From the very beginning, her life was shaped by hard work, perseverance, and deep love for her family.

She had her early education in Memphis. Mattie believed deeply in the power of education and made sure her children and grandchildren had the opportunities she never did.

At just 17, she moved north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after her mother told her sister, “Take her and help her get a good job.” She started out working in restaurants, and then God blessed her with a job at Perry Printing, where she worked for more than 30 years before retiring.

In her late 20s, she bought a “dollar house” on 12th Street and turned it into a warm and welcoming home. It became the heart of family life, where children, grandchildren, and friends gathered to eat, laugh, and create memories. After she retired, Mattie followed her passion and opened a licensed home daycare. Children in the neighborhood called her “Grandma,” and she loved and cared for each one like they were her own.

Mattie was a faithful member of Emmanuel Evangelistic Temple in Milwaukee. She served as an usher, cooked in the church kitchen, gave rides to other members, and supported the pastor’s family. She was just as involved in her grandchildren’s lives—helping at little league football games, organizing the cheerleading, and running the concession stand to raise money for the kids’ trophies.

To Mattie, the most important job in life was to give her children and grandchildren a better life. And that’s exactly what she did—with love, strength, and sacrifice. She was the rock of the family. Always showing up. Always giving.

She leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and service, remembered always by her devoted children: Rickey (Pat), Oreece (Derrick), Thearthur (Ella), Sedric (Yasmine), and Larry. Grandchildren Rickey Jr., Terrance (Akofa), Johnny, Rochell (Dwayne), Christina (Rio), Prentice, and Jabari. Along with her great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Mattie is reunited in peace with her parents, father Lester and mother Ella Pipes; her siblings Fred, Jennie Mae, Alfred, J.D., and Roy; and other cherished family members who preceded her in death, including Jean, Shirley, Shonda, Tiffany, Josiah, Devin, Kevin, and Dreon.

Her love and wisdom will live on in every life she touched. We thank God for the gift of her presence.