Victorville Family Is Asking for Community Support After the Loss of Loved One

VICTORVILLE, Ca. – A Victorville woman is mourning the loss of her husband of 23 years after he lost his life to mental illness.

Julie Mattice said that her husband Royal Mattice has always had ups and downs but until recently, has been able to overcome the downs. She said the fact that he has always stabilized in the past, no one realized that he would one day take his own life.

Royal was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and struggled with bouts of depression, like most with the Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. With the many changes in the recent year, Royal, like many others, was struggling with worsening depression. “No one ever thought it would end for him like this,” said Julie. “He walked out the door and instead of coming back like always, he had taken his life within the hour of leaving.”

Julie said that Royal took walks often and he found peace in taking walks in the desert. On Sunday, January 24, 2021, he was upset so he walked away from his home.  Before leaving, he had made some suicidal statements on social media and through text messages but Julie felt he would take his walk and come home. When he did not come home overnight, Julie knew something was not right and called the Sheriff’s Department to assist in locating him.

A missing persons flyer was posted by the Victorville Police Department on Monday, January 25, 2021. Family, friends, Deputies and the community searched for Royal hoping to find and help him. That evening, Royal was found deceased. “I want to take a moment to thank the officers who looked for him, said Julie. “Their kindness and dedication are appreciated even though he was already gone from this world.”

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 50 thousand Americans died of suicide in 2018 and their were 1.4 million suicide attempts.  “ Please check on your people, hold them close, remember things are harder on everyone right now,” said Julie. Royal is survived by his wife, Julie, his three children, Isabella, Chris, and Brianna and his two grandson’s, Liam and Sean.

The family is both heartbroken and unprepared for the sudden loss of their loved one. They have set up a Go Fund Me account and are asking for donations from the community to assist with any expenses associated with Royal’s passing. Julie also can accept CashApp payments to $juliemattice.

If you or anyone you know is feeling like there is no hope or like the struggles are too difficult to go on, please call the Suicide Lifeline anytime day or night at 800-273-8255.

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