Matteo Cardella

Matteo Angelo Cardella, 76, passed away peacefully on October 15, 2004 at his home with his family present. Matteo, the son of Angelo and Catherine Cardella, both Sicilian immigrants, was born in Kenilworth, N.J. on December 21, 1927. He attended elementary through high school near his home in Kenilworth, and during that time he worked in the family business delivering ice, milk and coal. He graduated from Maryville College in Tennessee in 1947 and from the University of Tennessee in 1949 with a Masters of Science in Microbiology. Matteo then served as an officer in the United States Army overseas during the Korean War. After leaving the service he worked as a microbiologist at Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD from 1954 to 1971. He continued his career at the National Animal Disease Lab in Ames, IA from 1971 until his retirement in 1991.

Throughout his life, Matteo was involved in many community service activities. As a young man, he served as a volunteer fire fighter in Kenilworth, NJ. His long service to the Lions Clubs, which included service at the local, state and international levels, began in Yellow Springs, MD in 1961 and continued until the time of his death. He served as the first District 9X7 Governor for the Iowa Lions and was employed following his retirement as the Secretary-Treasurer for the State of Iowa Lions from 1991 to 2003. He also participated in Toastmaster's International for many years. In addition, Matteo was an accomplished winemaker, an active booster for the Iowa State Cyclones, an avid golfer, a lifetime fan of the New York Yankees, a lover of the Atlantic seashore, and a collector of well-stocked birdfeeders.

Matteo was preceded in death by Ida Belle, his wife of 44 years, and by his younger brothers Angelo and Salvadore of Kenilworth, N.J. He is survived by a daughter, Georga Lee Accola (Lowell), and son Matteo Stephen, both of Brooklyn, N.Y, a son Jeffrey Paul (Denise) of Roland, IA, and a son David Scott (Susan), of Frederick, MD. He is also survived by one grandson, Matteo Jack of Roland, granddaughters Emily Rae and Danielle Maria of Roland, and Madolyn Noelle of Brooklyn.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames, IA at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 19, 2004. The Memorial will be preceded by a family visitation at the Church beginning at 10 a.m. Family and friends are invited to share remembrances during a luncheon to be served at the church following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Matteo's memory to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, the American Lung Association, or the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit of Mary Greeley Memorial Hospital.