Kayla Elaine Matulka

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Kayla Matulka Memorial Fund at Washington County Bank in Blair, NE Kayla Elaine Matulka was born March 18, 1993 in Omaha, Nebraska to Joseph and Tammi (Milenkovich) Matulka. As a baby and young girl, Kayla always had a tag to rub her fingers on to soothe her. She was always eager for trips with dad to grandpa and grandma Matulka’s family farm near Appleton, NE where she would gladly help with garden work or any other duties grandpa or grandma asked, and she got to play with Spottie the dog, and the kittens. Kayla also enjoyed going to Yutan where she would run in and say “Hi” to grandpa and grandma Milenkovich, then run next door to see her aunt, uncle, and cousins. She enjoyed setting up plays, dances, playing dress up, and in the summer, picking mulberries. Family was important to Kayla, and several of her cousins were like extra sisters. Kayla developed a love for music, and her sisters fondly remember on the car rides out to see relatives, they always wanted to listen to “sleepy music” which included Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Kayla absolutely loved numbers, and she started learning very early. Beginning at 4 days old until she was two years, she went to work every day with mommy where she played with the calculator and adding machine, and sat on mommy’s lap and watched as mommy did the daily accounting activities. Kayla and her mother had a very strong bond as a result of being together 24/7 for these first two years. Kayla grew up in Blair, Nebraska where she attended Blair Community Schools, and later transferred to Fort Calhoun High School where she enjoyed cheerleading. Kayla excelled in school and received her GED in 2009 from Metro Community College at the age of sixteen. Kayla loved taking online classes and earned her Business Administration Degree in June 2013 from Southeast Community College, followed by her Associate of Arts Degree from Northeast Community College in December 2013. Kayla continued online classes through Nebraska Wesleyan University from 2014-2019, and was enrolled at UNL for classes this fall to finish her Bachelor’s Degree. Kayla’s greatest joy in life was when she became the proud mother of Jayden Matulka in 2009, and Kinzlea Greisen in 2014. She raised her children in Lincoln, but recently moved to a home in Malmo, Nebraska. She cherished her children, and was always active with them, taking them to movies, going bowling and going on all sorts of adventures. Her children meant everything to her. All her hard work was to give them the best life possible. Kayla was very independent, and worked hard to take care of her children and herself. She worked for Husker Co-operative, Bank of the West, US Bank, the City Attorney’s office in Lincoln, and most recently for the City of Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department. She also was a waitress at Lippy’s BBQ in Malcolm, NE, just for the fun of it, and she enjoyed being around people, family, and friends. She never wanted to be bored! She enjoyed doing home remodeling projects and the challenge of “Do It Yourself” projects. Kayla was a caring, compassionate, strong, independent woman, who was full of life. She enjoyed boating, camping, traveling, and riding her motorcycle. She was into her health and fitness, took her fashion seriously, and had an affinity for tattoos and selfies. She enjoyed being silly, and her sisters would always joke with her about her laugh. Everyone in the family had a different nickname for her: to mom, she was “Naughty Nelly” or “Weezer”, to dad, she was “Kiwi”, “Key”, or “Kay”. Rachael called her “Q”, and Heather called her “Kay”. She was very competitive, hated losing, and success was always her goal. Kayla will be remembered as a friendly, hard-working, sweet, free-spirited, beautiful woman, who always had a smile on her face. She worked through hardships and overcame them with resilience. Her strong and loving soul can be summarized in her favorite quote, “I want to be like a sunflower, so that even on the darkest days, I will stand tall, and find the sunlight.” Kayla died tragically on July 15, 2020 at her home in Malmo, Nebraska at the age of 27 years, 3 months, and 28 days. She was preceded in death by her grandfather Richard Milenkovich and grandparents Joseph B. and Ann Matulka. Kayla is survived by her children Jayden Matulka and Kinzlea Greisen, and their father, Anthony Greisen, mother Tammi Matulka (Ronald Cox), father Joseph F. (Anne) Matulka, sisters Rachael (Joel) Kuhr and Heather (Trenton) Hansen all of Blair, grandmother Verna Milenkovich of Yutan, nieces and nephew: Madelyn and MaKenna Kuhr, and Henry, Claire and Sophia Hansen, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Kayla E. Matulka, age 27, of Malmo, NE, formerly of Lincoln, died 7/15/2020. Preceded in death by grandfather Richard Milenkovich and grandparents Joseph B. and Ann Matulka. Survived by children Jayden Matulka and Kinzlea Greisen, and their father, Anthony Greisen, mother Tammi Matulka (Ronald Cox), father Joseph F. (Anne) Matulka, sisters Rachael (Joel) Kuhr and Heather (Trent) Hansen all of Blair, grandmother Verna Milenkovich of Yutan, nieces and nephew: Madelyn and MaKenna Kuhr, and Henry, Claire and Sophia Hansen, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Visitation Friday, July 24 from 2-8 PM with family present from 5-8 PM at Reichmuth Funeral Home, Elkhorn. Services will be available for viewing on www.reichmuthfuneralhomes.com after 2 PM Saturday the 25th. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Kayla Matulka Memorial Fund at the Washington County Bank in Blair, NE.

Kayla Elaine Matulka

March 18, 1993 - July 15, 2020