Matthew Herold Duerre, 48

March 1, 1978 -

March 14, 2026

 

On Saturday morning, March 14, Matthew Herold Duerre passed away peacefully in his sleep with Lindsey and his kids by his side.

Trying to sum up Matt in a few paragraphs feels a little impossible. He was a husband, dad, son, brother, uncle, teacher, mentor, and friend—but like most things Matt built, the list is longer and more solid than it looks.

Matthew Herold Duerre was born on March 1, 1978 (followed five minutes later by his twin brother, Dan) to Steve (Bucky) and Terry Duerre in Cresco IA. Matt graduated from Crestwood High School in Cresco IA in 1996. After graduation he joined the United State Navy, where he served four years. While Matt was in the Navy he met his future wife, Lindsey Kissinger and they married May 10,1997. They welcomed three beautiful children into their lives: Tahlia, Boden and Korbin.

Matt was a little rough around the edges and sprinkled the F-word into just about every sentence. But underneath that exterior was a guy who cared deeply about his people. He loved big, showed up when people needed him, helped solve problems, and would absolutely help you out—usually with a tool in one hand and a little colored commentary in the other. If he couldn’t fix it, no one could.

He was the best dad to Tahlia, Boden, and Korbin, and “Uncle Matt” not only to his many nieces and nephews, but to just about every kid who spent time around him. Matt had a way of teaching people practical skills, self-reliance, and a little grit along the way—whether it was in his classroom, his woodshop, at a wrestling match, or just sitting around solving the world’s problems.

Matt believed in working with your hands, building things that last, and helping young people find pride and purpose in the trades. As the Woodshop teacher at Issaquah, Kent Meridian, and Enumclaw High Schools, he poured his time, energy, and probably a fair amount of sawdust and swear words into his days. Matt had a way of teaching more than woodshop—he taught confidence, patience, problem-solving, and the pride that comes from building something with your own hands. A lot of kids walked into his shop unsure of themselves and left realizing they were capable of more than they thought. He also believed most problems could be solved with the right tool, a little patience, and either a zip tie, duct tape or a stronger clamp.

 

To honor that legacy, our family is establishing a scholarship in Matt’s name for students who plan to pursue education in the skilled trades. Supporting young people who want to work with their hands and build something real was something Matt cared a lot about. If you feel moved to support something that meant so much to him, donations can be made through the Venmo or Duerre-Strong scholarship page or by mail to: 

Enumclaw School District

c/o Matt Duerre Scholarship for the Trades 

2929 McDougall Ave – Enumclaw WA 98022.

 

Matt leaves behind a lot of sawdust, a lot of stories, and a lot of people whose lives are better because they knew him. If a life can be measured by the people it helped, the things it built, and the laughs along the way… Matt built a really good one. 

Matt is survived by his wife, Lindsey and their children Tahlia, Boden and Korbin; his parents Steve (Bucky) and Terry Duerre; siblings Carrie (Eric) Stapelkamp, Andy (Missy) Duerre and twin brother Dan (Amanda) Duerre, mother-in-law Randee Kissinger, sister-in-law Shanna and family, brother-in-law Kerry Kissinger and family, along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Matt is preceded in death by his grandparents Orvie and Fran (Bohr) Herold, Tom and Edith (Welti) Duerre; Uncles Tom Herold, Tom Duerre, Jr, Steve (Gary) Herold, John Gosch, beloved nephew Zach Stapelkamp (who was ‘chick bait’ for Matt and Dan); cousin Bill Gosch and father-in-law Jeff Kissinger.

There will be a ‘Celebration of Life’ for Matt on Saturday, June 27th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at McAllister Catering – 229 3rd Ave W in Cresco, all are invited.

   There will be a family burial at another time.