Reese Alfred Mathieu Jr.'s Obituary
Reese Alfred Mathieu, Jr. (aka “Mat”), beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully at the Faith Presbyterian Hospice in Dallas, Texas on January 13, 2021 at the age of 96. Mat was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Hazel Cleveland and Reese A. Mathieu, Sr. on February 26, 1924. He was raised in South Dakota and soon after his 18th birthday, he enlisted and was accepted in the Cadet Program of the Army Air Corp in November 1942. He was trained to be a Navigator and flew 50 missions out of Italy on a B24 bomber. He was a First Lieutenant and 20 years old when he returned to the US. After the service, Mat attended the University of Texas on the GI Bill of Rights and graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He went to work immediately with a family-owned battery business out of San Antonio, beginning his career with the Houston branch and serving as the Houston Branch Manager until his retirement in 1984. Mat was a long-time active member of Chapelwood United Methodist Church. He was also active in the Houston Rotary Club and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow Award Recipient. He was also proud to be associated with the Spring Branch VFW and the WWII 449th Bomb Group with whom he attended reunions all over the United States—the last one being in 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although he loved to travel (especially on cruises), Mat was a ‘homebody’ at heart. He loved his home, gardening, being a good neighbor to so many, and ensuring all guests he hosted had a good visit.
Mat is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Marie Adair Mathieu. They remained in Houston until 2017 when they moved to Dallas to be close to their family: son, Reese A. Mathieu III and his wife Martha; and three grandchildren: Mary Mathieu Farrington and husband, Rob; Sarah Mathieu Burdick and husband, Zack; and Reese A. Mathieu IV and wife, Allison. Mat is also survived by six great grandchildren, Charlotte and Ben Farrington, Adair and Eloise Burdick and Caroline and Jude Mathieu.
A private Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at First United Methodist Church in Richardson.
The service will be Livestreamed at www.fumcr.com/Live
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