Mathew David Ullom

Mathew David Ullom came into this world on October 5, 1977, and immediately made his presence known. Mat was awake every three hours demanding mom feed him and spent most of his life in the mode of staying up late and ending operating on too little sleep. He grew up in the country east of George, IA by the Zoar Presbyterian Church and graduated from George Little Rock High School.

Mat started wrestling in the 4th grade with dad as his youth wrestling coach. Most of the months of the year included traveling to nearby states with Nate for higher level tournaments. College took him to the University of Dubuque to compete on the wrestling team there. His senior year showed his commitment when he set his mind to do something when he ended the season as the only grappler on the team. His time there was marked by involvement with Pi Kappa Chi and was affectionately known as Gully. He also made the love connection of his life with Jennifer Bahl that led to their union on October 22, 2005.

The next challenge of his life was developing a dream to help people and become a Doctor of Chiropractic at Palmer Chiropractic in Davenport, IA where he also followed the tradition begun by his grandfather and joined the Masonic Lodge there. He also found the real sports love of his life when he became involved in the rugby team there and was a part of the Iowa traveling team.

The summer before 8th grade was to shape a big part of the rest of his life when he went on a father-son church camp canoe trip to the Boundary Waters on Minnesota's northern border. They both learned backwoods skills that became annual trips to the Boundary Waters for the boys. The summer of 2020 was the last trip there and included most of the family. That was a special time spent with Noah and Levi in going off in their canoe and spending hours fishing. A transition began when Mat took a course at UD that included a hiking trip in the southwest. Canoe trips from then on included a hiking day, and then the draw of Colorado imposed itself in his love for the outdoors led to collecting 14teeners on summer backpacking and mountain conquering excursions that included wives on a couple ascents.

Two of the most special days in his life were when his life was enriched by the births of Noah and Levi. One of the favorite pastimes for Mat and his sons was to go camping for the weekend and spending time in the back country. His red Jeep was an important part of those outings for offroad excursions. No matter how many people told him to give up on it, he loved spending time repairing and upgrading the suspension or drive train, or whatever else was failing at the time. He loved his jeep.

He also greatly enjoyed the family gatherings for Christmases and for summer vacations. August provided a grand time together as all four brothers and families were able to spend time together for a Colorado vacation.

Mat transitioned to coaching rugby in Fort Collins at CSU. They had a number of very good teams and always seemed close to the top tier teams in the nation as Mat shared the tales. He also volunteered as Chiropractor for the team.

Mat was very passionate about caring for his patients and fulfilled his dream of moving his business to a new location with brand new office construction last fall.

Mat's Christian faith was a central part of who he was and was expressed in so many ways as he helped all of those around him. Stories of Mat helping others like scooping a neighbor's snow or carrying an injured friend out of the back country are a part of the stories of everyone who knew him.

Mat went ahead of the rest of the family to pass from this life to life eternal January 9, 2022.

He left to cherish his memory, his boys, Noah and Levi and their mother, Jennifer Bahl. His parents Dave and Judy Ullom, Estherville, IA. Brothers Nate (Amber) Ullom- Kyler and Kinsey, Storm Lake, IA; Josh (Danielle) Ullom- Aliyah, Lance and Cooper, Apple Valley, MN; Ben (Christina) Ullom- Jace and Avalyn, Tea, SD. His grandfather Robert Ullom, Flandreau, SD and his aunts, uncles and cousins and many other lives he has touched

He was preceded in death by his infant sister Alison and his grandmother Lois Ullom, and grandparents Fred and Shirley Kortte, Stoughton, WI.

Mat's love for his family was a central and very important part of the stories we all will carry with us and will keep his presence with us for the years to come until we join him in heaven.