Natalie Ann Mattingly

Natalie is the perfect example of what it means to live a full and faithful life. She laughed every day; she loved with her entire heart; she had a strong faith; and she admired the little things in life. She met her husband Doug in Evansville in 1984, working at the same restaurant. They later married in 1988 and celebrated their 28th year of marriage on August 6th. Chelsea was born in 1993, and just 13 months later Abigail was born. Natalie had the most fiercely unconditional love for her husband and girls and showed them this love each and every day.

Natalie was never a woman of excuses. In her 20 years of battling cancer, she never made an excuse; in her 23 years of raising her girls she never let them make an excuse; and in her more than 30 years as an educator she never let her students make excuses. She believed in being true to self (and confident in that self), admitting mistakes, and accepting and learning from them. She believed that when you fall down, you get back up. She was tough, but she was also kind and generous. Her heart was full of love and her actions were inspirational. Her strength and passion for life impacted so many of her family members, friends, and those she worked with.

Natalie passed away on Saturday, August 13th at 63 years old. Doug, Chelsea, and Abby were surrounding her in bed. During the weeks prior, Natalie was able to spend time with family and friends who meant so much to her. She valued the relationships she built with each and every person and she would be the first to say that she was very blessed with the people that were in her life. Her life was filled with love and laughter.

Natalie was born in Hanover, Indiana to John and Lenora Fox. She was blessed with an older brother and sister, John Fox Jr. and Barbara Messer, who she absolutely adored. She grew up in Indianapolis where she attended Franklin Central High School. She graduated in 1975 from Depauw University with her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. She then went on to attain her Masters from Butler in Special Education (1977) and later in school counseling (1992). She spent most of her career at Ben Davis High School as a guidance counselor where she was able to impact so many teachers and students. Natalie had a passion for higher education, and motivated all of her students to go to college. She saw so much potential in the students at Ben Davis and worked hard to find opportunities for them to attend college and encouraged them to dream BIG despite the barriers and obstacles that often threatened to hold them back.

Natalie loved working out in her garden or even tearing weeds out of other people's yards. Rain or shine, she was out in her or her neighbor's yards, working hard to care for God's creations. She took such pride in her work; she loved flowers and growing tomatoes.

Natalie lived an active life; she had a passion for exercising and being outdoors. She wanted to raise a healthy family, and that she did. No illness or physical injury could ever keep her from doing what she loved.

Natalie had a love of animals; she especially loved her dogs. In order to honor Natalie, her daughters, husband, and close friends have decided to ask for contributions to be given to the Hamilton County Humane Society. Please follow this link to make donations in her name: https://www.hamiltonhumane.com/how-to-help/donate/…

Natalie's wishes were not to have a funeral, but rather to have a celebration of life a few weeks after her passing. The date and time are to be determined. She asked that we spread her ashes in Traverse City, Michigan where she has many fond memories at her sister and brother-in-law Anne and Dave Mann's lake house. She wishes to be scattered over Lake Michigan.

Natalie is loved so much and will be missed.