Long time Worland resident Matt Alaniz, age 84, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. He had been a resident there for the past year.
Matt was born on Sept. 21, 1928 in Markham, Texas, one of 12 children born to Augustine and Guadalupe (Gonzalez) Alaniz.
Matt liked school and was a good student. However he left school after the 8th grade and began working to help his family. He worked mainly helping to farm and harvest crops. He, along with his father and brothers, also collected and sold scrap metal and wood to earn extra money for their family.
Hoping to see some of the world and further his education, he enlisted in the United States Army in January 1947. He enjoyed the time he spent in Germany and fell in love with Switzerland. He said the Swiss people were some of the best he had ever met and the land itself was beautiful. After serving two tours of duty, he decided to leave the military and was honorably discharged in February 1953.
After his discharge, he heard that a man could make good money in the oil fields. So, along with one of his brothers, Matt began following drilling rig jobs throughout Texas, New Mexico and finally Wyoming. After being in Wyoming for a couple years, he found steady work in Worland.
While living in Worland, he began seeing a pretty waitress whom he later married. Matt and Christa Jean (Bumpass) Rissler were married Nov. 13, 1961 in Billings, Mont. They made their home in Worland where they bought a house and raised Christa's children. They later added another daughter and a son of their own to the family.
Matt worked for oil well drilling companies including Loflund Brothers. That meant working away from home a lot, so the couple decided that he would leave the bigger drilling rigs and began working on rigs locally. He began working on work-over rigs, including working for Corbin Well Service for many years.
He was a rig operator. There are many guys who still remember how tough he could be to work for as he was very strict about safety, cleanliness, timeliness and working hard. He never allowed his crews to travel to and from the job in dirty, oily clothes and shoes. He was a tool pusher at Welltech at the time of his retirement. He soon found he still wanted to work, so he again worked for a couple of more oil companies.
When he finally stopped working, he devoted his time to another passion – politics. He was a staunch lifelong Democrat, and he was a regular writer of letters to the editor across the state of Wyoming. He also held many offices within the party and was the local chairman for several years. He and Christa enjoyed traveling around the state to attend state meetings.
Matt loved to hunt and fish, and to do woodworking and upholstering. Along with Christa, he had a large vegetable garden. In his last year, he often spoke about not being able to garden anymore.
Some of Matt's favorite times were when the kids and grandkids came around. Those were usually noisy, hectic affairs filled with fun and laughter. He will always be remembered for his corny sense of humor and teasing.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Christa in 2006; a son, George Rissler; and a grandson, Joseph Alaniz. He was also preceded by an infant brother, Louis; sister, Eliza Rodriguez; and his brothers, Augustine Alaniz, Jr., Henry Alaniz, Joe Alaniz and Louis Alaniz.
Matt is survived by his sons, Steve (Cheryl Durner) Rissler of Cheyenne and David (Shelley) Alaniz of Gillette; and his daughters, Marilynn (Tom) Schuyler of Salt Lake City, Utah and Sandy (Howard) Phillips of Worland. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren (the last one born on 12-12-2012); and by his siblings, Felo Alaniz, Concepcion Alaniz, Julia Garcia, Lupe Cano; and Lucy Parr all of Texas.
Matt was born on Sept. 21, 1928 in Markham, Texas, one of 12 children born to Augustine and Guadalupe (Gonzalez) Alaniz.
Matt liked school and was a good student. However he left school after the 8th grade and began working to help his family. He worked mainly helping to farm and harvest crops. He, along with his father and brothers, also collected and sold scrap metal and wood to earn extra money for their family.
Hoping to see some of the world and further his education, he enlisted in the United States Army in January 1947. He enjoyed the time he spent in Germany and fell in love with Switzerland. He said the Swiss people were some of the best he had ever met and the land itself was beautiful. After serving two tours of duty, he decided to leave the military and was honorably discharged in February 1953.
After his discharge, he heard that a man could make good money in the oil fields. So, along with one of his brothers, Matt began following drilling rig jobs throughout Texas, New Mexico and finally Wyoming. After being in Wyoming for a couple years, he found steady work in Worland.
While living in Worland, he began seeing a pretty waitress whom he later married. Matt and Christa Jean (Bumpass) Rissler were married Nov. 13, 1961 in Billings, Mont. They made their home in Worland where they bought a house and raised Christa's children. They later added another daughter and a son of their own to the family.
Matt worked for oil well drilling companies including Loflund Brothers. That meant working away from home a lot, so the couple decided that he would leave the bigger drilling rigs and began working on rigs locally. He began working on work-over rigs, including working for Corbin Well Service for many years.
He was a rig operator. There are many guys who still remember how tough he could be to work for as he was very strict about safety, cleanliness, timeliness and working hard. He never allowed his crews to travel to and from the job in dirty, oily clothes and shoes. He was a tool pusher at Welltech at the time of his retirement. He soon found he still wanted to work, so he again worked for a couple of more oil companies.
When he finally stopped working, he devoted his time to another passion – politics. He was a staunch lifelong Democrat, and he was a regular writer of letters to the editor across the state of Wyoming. He also held many offices within the party and was the local chairman for several years. He and Christa enjoyed traveling around the state to attend state meetings.
Matt loved to hunt and fish, and to do woodworking and upholstering. Along with Christa, he had a large vegetable garden. In his last year, he often spoke about not being able to garden anymore.
Some of Matt's favorite times were when the kids and grandkids came around. Those were usually noisy, hectic affairs filled with fun and laughter. He will always be remembered for his corny sense of humor and teasing.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Christa in 2006; a son, George Rissler; and a grandson, Joseph Alaniz. He was also preceded by an infant brother, Louis; sister, Eliza Rodriguez; and his brothers, Augustine Alaniz, Jr., Henry Alaniz, Joe Alaniz and Louis Alaniz.
Matt is survived by his sons, Steve (Cheryl Durner) Rissler of Cheyenne and David (Shelley) Alaniz of Gillette; and his daughters, Marilynn (Tom) Schuyler of Salt Lake City, Utah and Sandy (Howard) Phillips of Worland. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren (the last one born on 12-12-2012); and by his siblings, Felo Alaniz, Concepcion Alaniz, Julia Garcia, Lupe Cano; and Lucy Parr all of Texas.
Long time Worland resident Matt Alaniz, age 84, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. He had been a resident there for the past year.
Matt was born on Sept. 21, 1928 in Markham, Texas, one of 12 children born to Augustine and Guadalupe (Gonzalez) Alaniz.
Matt liked school and was a good student. However he left school after the 8th grade and began working to help his family. He worked mainly helping to farm and harvest crops. He, along with his father and brothers, also collected and sold scrap metal and wood to earn extra money for their family.
Hoping to see some of the world and further his education, he enlisted in the United States Army in January 1947. He enjoyed the time he spent in Germany and fell in love with Switzerland. He said the Swiss people were some of the best he had ever met and the land itself was beautiful. After serving two tours of duty, he decided to leave the military and was honorably discharged in February 1953.
After his discharge, he heard that a man could make good money in the oil fields. So, along with one of his brothers, Matt began following drilling rig jobs throughout Texas, New Mexico and finally Wyoming. After being in Wyoming for a couple years, he found steady work in Worland.
While living in Worland, he began seeing a pretty waitress whom he later married. Matt and Christa Jean (Bumpass) Rissler were married Nov. 13, 1961 in Billings, Mont. They made their home in Worland where they bought a house and raised Christa's children. They later added another daughter and a son of their own to the family.
Matt worked for oil well drilling companies including Loflund Brothers. That meant working away from home a lot, so the couple decided that he would leave the bigger drilling rigs and began working on rigs locally. He began working on work-over rigs, including working for Corbin Well Service for many years.
He was a rig operator. There are many guys who still remember how tough he could be to work for as he was very strict about safety, cleanliness, timeliness and working hard. He never allowed his crews to travel to and from the job in dirty, oily clothes and shoes. He was a tool pusher at Welltech at the time of his retirement. He soon found he still wanted to work, so he again worked for a couple of more oil companies.
When he finally stopped working, he devoted his time to another passion – politics. He was a staunch lifelong Democrat, and he was a regular writer of letters to the editor across the state of Wyoming. He also held many offices within the party and was the local chairman for several years. He and Christa enjoyed traveling around the state to attend state meetings.
Matt loved to hunt and fish, and to do woodworking and upholstering. Along with Christa, he had a large vegetable garden. In his last year, he often spoke about not being able to garden anymore.
Some of Matt's favorite times were when the kids and grandkids came around. Those were usually noisy, hectic affairs filled with fun and laughter. He will always be remembered for his corny sense of humor and teasing.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Christa in 2006; a son, George Rissler; and a grandson, Joseph Alaniz. He was also preceded by an infant brother, Louis; sister, Eliza Rodriguez; and his brothers, Augustine Alaniz, Jr., Henry Alaniz, Joe Alaniz and Louis Alaniz.
Matt is survived by his sons, Steve (Cheryl Durner) Rissler of Cheyenne and David (Shelley) Alaniz of Gillette; and his daughters, Marilynn (Tom) Schuyler of Salt Lake City, Utah and Sandy (Howard) Phillips of Worland. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren (the last one born on 12-12-2012); and by his siblings, Felo Alaniz, Concepcion Alaniz, Julia Garcia, Lupe Cano; and Lucy Parr all of Texas.
Matt was born on Sept. 21, 1928 in Markham, Texas, one of 12 children born to Augustine and Guadalupe (Gonzalez) Alaniz.
Matt liked school and was a good student. However he left school after the 8th grade and began working to help his family. He worked mainly helping to farm and harvest crops. He, along with his father and brothers, also collected and sold scrap metal and wood to earn extra money for their family.
Hoping to see some of the world and further his education, he enlisted in the United States Army in January 1947. He enjoyed the time he spent in Germany and fell in love with Switzerland. He said the Swiss people were some of the best he had ever met and the land itself was beautiful. After serving two tours of duty, he decided to leave the military and was honorably discharged in February 1953.
After his discharge, he heard that a man could make good money in the oil fields. So, along with one of his brothers, Matt began following drilling rig jobs throughout Texas, New Mexico and finally Wyoming. After being in Wyoming for a couple years, he found steady work in Worland.
While living in Worland, he began seeing a pretty waitress whom he later married. Matt and Christa Jean (Bumpass) Rissler were married Nov. 13, 1961 in Billings, Mont. They made their home in Worland where they bought a house and raised Christa's children. They later added another daughter and a son of their own to the family.
Matt worked for oil well drilling companies including Loflund Brothers. That meant working away from home a lot, so the couple decided that he would leave the bigger drilling rigs and began working on rigs locally. He began working on work-over rigs, including working for Corbin Well Service for many years.
He was a rig operator. There are many guys who still remember how tough he could be to work for as he was very strict about safety, cleanliness, timeliness and working hard. He never allowed his crews to travel to and from the job in dirty, oily clothes and shoes. He was a tool pusher at Welltech at the time of his retirement. He soon found he still wanted to work, so he again worked for a couple of more oil companies.
When he finally stopped working, he devoted his time to another passion – politics. He was a staunch lifelong Democrat, and he was a regular writer of letters to the editor across the state of Wyoming. He also held many offices within the party and was the local chairman for several years. He and Christa enjoyed traveling around the state to attend state meetings.
Matt loved to hunt and fish, and to do woodworking and upholstering. Along with Christa, he had a large vegetable garden. In his last year, he often spoke about not being able to garden anymore.
Some of Matt's favorite times were when the kids and grandkids came around. Those were usually noisy, hectic affairs filled with fun and laughter. He will always be remembered for his corny sense of humor and teasing.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Christa in 2006; a son, George Rissler; and a grandson, Joseph Alaniz. He was also preceded by an infant brother, Louis; sister, Eliza Rodriguez; and his brothers, Augustine Alaniz, Jr., Henry Alaniz, Joe Alaniz and Louis Alaniz.
Matt is survived by his sons, Steve (Cheryl Durner) Rissler of Cheyenne and David (Shelley) Alaniz of Gillette; and his daughters, Marilynn (Tom) Schuyler of Salt Lake City, Utah and Sandy (Howard) Phillips of Worland. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren (the last one born on 12-12-2012); and by his siblings, Felo Alaniz, Concepcion Alaniz, Julia Garcia, Lupe Cano; and Lucy Parr all of Texas.
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