George B. “Joe” Mather

MATHER, BUETOW, COVERDALE, ROCKHILL, WALTON, WILMETH, SIROIS

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 7/3/2009 at 11:25:48

George B. “Joe” Mather, of 606 Holt Avenue in Iowa City, died February 15, 2006 at Greenwood Manor in Iowa City.

Mr. Mather was born January 1, 1924 in Sioux City, Iowa. His parents were Maurice Asa Mather and Gertrude A. Buetow. The family lived, during most of Mr. Mather’s childhood in Lake View, Iowa where he graduated from Lake View High School in 1941.

George attended Iowa State Teacher’s College where he majored in English, 1942-44. He received his B.A. in Journalism from the University of Iowa in 1946 and his M.A. in Journalism in 1954.

Mr. Mather worked as a copywriter and advertising manager before being employed at the University of Iowa where he served as Assistant to the Dean, Division of Extension and University Services and as Director of the Iowa Center for Education in Politics. He was the author of a number of publications concerned with voting in Iowa.

In 1956 he was married to Virginia Coverdale and they adopted two children: Bonnie Anne and Herbert Rockhill Mather.

George was affiliated with the Society of Typographic Arts, Kappa Tau Alpha and the American Association for Public Opinion Research. He had been a member of the Lions Club since 1947 and a member of the Iowa City chapter since 1950. He belonged to the Congregational Church.

Mr. Mather was one of those responsible for bringing Elderhostel to the University of Iowa at a time when only six other universities (in the New England states) had Elderhostel programs.

Mr. Mather was widowed in 1990 and married to Marlyn Walton Wilmeth in 1994.

Mr. Mather is survived by his wife, brother Franklin Mather of Vadnais Heights, MN, his daughter Bonnie Mather Sirois of Des Moines, his son Herbert Rockhill Mather of Johnson County and three grandsons, Bryan, Michael and Kevin Sirois of Des Moines.