John Martin Mathison (1949-2016)
MATHISON, JEFFERY, MELSON, HOLT, SHEPHARD, JOHNSON, FREEMAN
Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 10/31/2016 at 17:19:21
From Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care obituary, Ames, Story County, Iowa:
John Martin Mathison, age 67, died in Ames, IA, on Monday, October 24, 2016. John was born September 4, 1949, the son of Richard K. and Patricia (Jeffery) Mathison of Ames. He graduated from Ames High School in 1967 and attended Iowa State University, where he received a degree in business.
Upon graduation, John joined the family business at Mathison Ford, Ltd., a car dealership started by his grandfather in 1913. After John sold the dealership in 1990, he continued to operate Mathison Auto Body and Paint. John also worked at Iowa State University Extension and Contemporary Concepts, Inc. He was retired at the time he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015.
John married Jane Melson in June 1976, in Muscatine, IA. The couple have a son, Randall, and a daughter, Margaret, and just celebrated their 40th anniversary this past summer.
John had many interests and talents, but his most lasting impact is the strong family relationships he nurtured. He taught his children the finer points of life while spending summer weekends sailing and waterskiing. John's other interests included computers, programming, cars, music, and dogs. He enjoyed driving vacations with his family to all fifty states and much of Canada. He even exported his friendly Iowa driving to Europe, where he squared off with taxi drivers and boldly navigated roads built only for chariots (and perhaps some built only for bicycles).
John also served on boards in his church and the Ames Noon Rotary. He devoted hours to his children's activities, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, AHS Band Boosters, Science Olympiad, and US FIRST.
John is survived by his wife Jane, son Randall (Christina) of Columbus, Ohio, and daughter Margaret of Ames, Iowa; his brother Mark (Rebecca) of Noblesville, Indiana; brother-in-law James (Arlene) Melson of Muscatine, Iowa; nieces and nephews Scott (Amy) Mathison, Jeffery (Tracy) Mathison, Sally (Tripp) Mathison Holt, Christopher Melson, Stephanie (Michael) Melson Shephard, and Katherine (Matthew) Melson Johnson; and his aunt, Elizabeth Freeman, and his uncle, Theodore Jeffery. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Patricia Mathison.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the United Way of Story County, the Northcrest Foundation, or the Ames Animal Shelter.
The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 11, 2016, at Grandon Funeral Home, 414 Lincoln Way, Ames. A service to celebrate John's life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames.
http://www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com/
Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
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