Lost Marion Mechanic: 'You Loved Him and Hated Him All in the Same Sentence'

There are a few things you need to understand about Matthew Dunkel:

1. You didn't want to ask him stupid questions.

2. He was a better golfer than you.

I sat down with the friends and coworkers of Dunkel — who died last Saturday in a motorcycle crash — at the Marion , where he served as a mechanic, and they filled me in on what kind of man he was.

Dunkel's friend Byron Vanourney was with him when it happened. He confirmed what the Marion Police Department , that Dunkel was struck on his motorcycle on Highway 13 by a green SUV heading west from Hennessey Parkway.

"The car pulled pulled out in front of him and that was about it," said Vanourney.

Of course there's more, but the frequent retelling of how his close friend died at the scene of a motorcycle accident isn't something he likes to talk about.

All his friends and co-workers — many are one in the same — said it's hard to talk about who he was without discussing that he could be abrasive, or, at times, "grumpy."

"One guy made the comment: You loved him and hated him all in the same sentence, but you wanted him there with you," said friend and co-worker, Tim Shada.

But in trying to describe Dunkel, the good and the difficult, Bill Hawkins, an operator at the Public Services Department, said the best way to describe Dunkel was outgoing. Everyone agreed.

He wouldn't refrain from chewing you out, but I was assured that if he did, you had it coming.

"He didn't do it out of negativity; it was out of honesty," said Shada.

Dunkel's outgoing nature lent to generosity in his area of expertise: mechanics.

He was known to fix Marion Police officer's personal vehicles, has helped numerous friends move and install their jacuzzis and once installed a generator in Marion Police Chief Harry Daugherty's RV.

He was also a good, hands-on teacher, according to 23-year-old Marion Public Services Mechanic, Andrew Jenson, who was referred to by Dunkel as "junior." 

Dunkel was also described as a brilliant mechanic. He would get calls from garbage truck drivers and would be able to walk them through repairs, all over the phone.

It's something his co-workers say is far beyond their abilities.

"You could describe what your problem was and he would describe what was wrong before you’ve seen it," Jenson said.

His buddies said with wide grins that there were stories of him they didn't think were appropriate to print, possibly pertaining to the consumption of his favorite drinks: Red Stag, Busch Light, Captian Morgan and Crown Royal.

Still, they said they knew there wouldn't be any more stories or witty come-backs and that "He would be missed" is an unfortunate understatement.

Dunkel leaves two children, Brianna and Nicholas Dunkel of Marion, from a previous relationship and his girlfriend, Springville resident Tami Mysak.

Mysak was sitting behind Dunkel in the crash and sustained serious injuries.

Shada said he spoke with Mysak's daughter and was told that she was gradually recovering from heart surgery and serious injuries.

A funeral service will be held this Wednesday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Anamosa.