MATT PICOLET
TESCOTT - Matt Picolet, a man who loved his family and friends and valued hard work, went to be with the Lord Friday night, surrounded by people he loved.
Matt was born in Council Grove to Jon and Cheryl (Wright) Picolet on January 10, 1982. He grew up on the family farm near Kelso, KS caring for livestock and putting up hay. He participated in 4-H, cross country, and wrestling. He attended Pratt County Community College where he learned to be a machinist, a trade he practiced for 17 years. Matt was a lifelong firearms enthusiast, hunting deer and birds, as well as competing in rifle shooting matches. Matt pursued his love for all things fast in many ways. He advised many racers, both at the dirt track and the drag strip, and owned a few fast cars himself. He also thoroughly enjoyed building and riding four wheelers and going to the sand dunes to camp and ride. It wasn’t a successful trip unless there was at least one "unplanned dismount." He married his wife, Jessica (Van Meter) on October 15, 2011. They have two daughters, Kaylee Lynn and Johnna Mae, whom Matt loved very much. After the girls were born, Matt’s interest moved more towards building his custom hay and pasture clearing business. The girls loved getting to ride along in the swather, push the buttons to run the bale bed, and ride along to check cattle. Matt loved to take them along.
Matt was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in October of 2018. He continued to work and build his business throughout treatment, often receiving chemo treatments in the morning and putting up hay that same afternoon.
Matt was preceded in death by his father, Jon of Santa Fe, NM, and paternal grandparents, Jim and Ada Picolet of Council Grove, KS.
Matt is survived by his wife and daughters; his mother, Cheryl Picolet of Santa Fe, NM; sister, Erin Picolet of Yuma, AZ; brother, Mike Picolet of Denton, TX; maternal grandparents, Don and Betsy Wright of Overland Park, KS and Velma and Bill Dickson of Topeka, KS; father and mother-in-law, Russ and Jana Van Meter of Ada, KS; as well as innumerable other family and close friends.
Memorial services will be at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 4, 2020 at the Antioch Baptist Church, Ada. Masks are encouraged but not required. The family kindly requests no flowers and ask that memorials be made to the Matt Picolet Memorial Fund which will be used as a college education fund for his girls. Memorials may be mailed to Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.
www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com