Esther Mathison

1923-2023

Posted

Esther N. Mathison, 99, passed away on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Homeplace-Stanley under the care of St. Croix Hospice.

Born on May 31, 1923, to Morris and Helen (Solberg) Christianson, Esther was the youngest in her family of 10 children. She grew up in the Drywood, Wisconsin area on her family’s farm. She loved learning and was proud of her 8th grade education as well as the multitude of skills, hobbies and crafts her mother and older sisters taught her. Esther was a seamstress, bread baker, chicken butcher, accordion player, polka dancer, and outgoing friend to everyone who needed a listening ear, a warm hug, or a joke to brighten their day.

Esther’s family moved to a farm north of Stanley when she was a young teenager. It didn’t take long before she met Gib (Gerhard) Mathison who happened along the road where she and her sister, Mable, were walking to town. Gib was a good dancer, very handsome, and he held Esther’s attention until he moved to Montana to work on a ranch. The day Gib returned to Stanley the love affair picked up again and they were married on October 7, 1941. Gib and Esther farmed in the town of Worden, south of Stanley, raising their 5 children (Edward, Roger, Earl, Leslie, Diane) there.

Relationships were Esther’s lifeline. She was joyful when quilting with the neighbor ladies, teaching Sunday School kids, or cooking for a church supper with her Our Savior’s Lutheran friends. Esther treated every family gathering with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren as some of the most precious days of her life. She stayed connected with her siblings until they passed away, and then was delighted to attend “the cousin luncheons” with her nieces and nephews right up until the end of her life.

Gib and Esther moved into town in 1991, purchasing Esther’s favorite house on Franklin Street in Stanley. She loved the two-story traditional style with an open staircase and original woodwork. She got busy renovating and decorating. Welcoming family and friends as overnight guests, complete with plenty of delicious home cooking, put Esther in her element as she could pamper people a bit.

Helping people was energizing to Esther whether she was serving as a Grey Lady at the Stanley Hospital, working a Red Cross blood drive in the church basement, or inviting the Luther League kids from church to a backyard bonfire and hot dog roast. In Esther’s later years she offered the Esther Mathison Girl with Gumption scholarship to a Stanley-Boyd High School graduating senior girl. Meeting each recipient and hearing the stories about what they wanted to do with their lives was a high point each year and so fulfilling for Esther.

When Gib passed away in 2007, Esther moved into Moon Park Apartments in Stanley. She missed Gib so much but was determined to figure out how to live alone. One of the first things she noticed was that people lived so close together in those apartments but rarely got together. So, she baked a batch of homemade donuts, brewed a pot of coffee, and sat alone in the community room near the front door. She invited every person who happened to walk by to stop for a donut and a chat. Within a few weeks, 3pm afternoon coffeetime was a daily ritual. Residents took turns bringing a treat to share and everyone was always welcome. Esther had created a new rhythm in her life as a single lady.

Esther aged well, looking younger than her age with her white hair beautifully arranged and cute outfits looking so sharp. But a broken hip, (twice), and reduced mobility made it necessary to move into The Homeplace Assisted Living in Stanley. She lived at Homeplace for the final three years of her life where the staff were like family and other resident friends brought meaningful structure, connections, and happiness.

Esther is survived by her children, Earl (Linda) Mathison of Thorp, Les (Dolly) Mathison of Chippewa Falls, Diane (Chris Buscher) of Aurora, CO, 14 grandchildren, and many great and great-great grandchildren. Esther was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Clifford, Harry, Lloyd, Melvin, and Herman Christianson, Laura Waller, Mabel Hanson, Mildred Cance, and Myrtle Christianson. She was also preceded in death by her husband Gerhard (Gib) and sons Edward and Roger Mathison.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stanley with Pastor Kenneth Schmidt officiating. A reception and dinner will follow at The Homeplace, complete with a polka band, to celebrate Esther’s 100th Birthday in Heaven. Inurnment will take place that evening in East Side Cemetery.