Francis "Frank" L. Mathison

Francis "Frank" Mathison, 79, of La Crosse passed away Thursday December 19, 2024 at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, after a long 23-year battle with heart disease.

He was born Sept. 12, 1945 in Viroqua, the youngest of 6 children of Hjalmer and Alice (Stenslien) Mathison. The family moved from Westby to Lindvig Ridge, and then to Pumpkin Ridge, rural Chaseburg, in 1949. Francis attended the Brown School near their home and graduated from Westby High School in 1963. In 1964, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in Onalaska. He later transferred to the reserve unit in Dodgeville, where he completed his enlistment. He also served in the Wisconsin National Guard Helicopter unit in Madison for 3 years. In October 1964, while Frank was undergoing his AIT training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. he was injured in a truck accident during night maneuvers. This led to several plastic surgeries of his ear at the Wood VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Frank would often tell how he roomed with WWI veterans and wished he had a tape recorder as even one took care of General Patton ‘s horse.

 In the fall of 1965, he enrolled at Coleman Vocational/Technical Institute where he met his future wife, Judy Jeidy. In the summer of 1967, they moved to Madison and were married Sept. 2, 1967. The couple lived in Madison until 1968 when they moved to Sun Prairie. When working at Red Arrow Sales Corp. in Madison, his boss decided his name should be "Frank". It stuck with him for life, except for relatives and old friends.

 Frank was employed as Traffic Manager at Eastex Packaging in Madison until 1976. In 1972 the couple adopted their son, Mike. While in Sun Prairie, Frank was very active in the American Legion and served two years as Commander of Elmer Peterson Post 333. When the family moved to Wyocena in 1974, he joined the Pardeeville American Legion Post #215. The first meeting he attended happened to be on election night. He was elected Commander. While living in Wyocena, their son Bryan was born in 1975.

 In December of 1976 the family moved to Onalaska and was employed as dispatcher and Operations Manager by Rau Oil Corporation of La Crosse. Their daughter Rhonda was born in 1977. In 1979 they purchased and moved to the Coulee Inn Motel Inn Coon Valley which was family run until 1995. They then moved to Frank's home farm on Pumpkin Ridge. In 1987 he started his sales career for Gopher Oil Co, then in 1991 he was hired as a Territory Manger for The Farm-Oyl Company. In 2007, CHS Inc. purchased the Farm-Oyl Company and Frank was only one of two of the salesmen retained by CHS as a consultant and CHS District Manager representing the Farm-Oyl brand. He retired in 2013, completing a 37-year career in the oil industry and the last traveling salesman for Farm Oyl products. In retirement, he still worked various temporary cab and medical transport jobs. The last was for Nordic Care out of Eau Claire.

Frank has been a continuous and active member of The American Legion. He was a Past Commander of three American Legion Posts: Sun Prairie Post 333, Pardeeville Post 215 and Coon Valley Post 116. He served on many state committees over the years Which included State Children & Youth Chairman, State Membership Chairman and National Commission on Children & Youth. He was known for his activities as a historian, having served many years as Post 116 Historian, 7" District Historian, and four terms as State Historian of the Wisconsin American Legion. When the new American Legion State Headquarters was moved to Portage in 2000, Frank, along with Past National Historian Bobbe Stuvengen, were instrumental in establishing The Wisconsin American Legion Museum and Learning Center there. Frank won many history book awards but his proudest achievement was when he completed Coon Valley Post 116’s 100-year two volume history.

Frank was a member of the Firing Squads in all the Legion Posts he belonged to. He was also a member of the 40 & 8 and was Past Chef de Gare of Dane County Voiture #683 and also Vernon County Voiture tt824. He was current member of La Crosse Voiture #830 and participant on their locomotive in parades. He was a member of the Coon Valley Lutheran Church, having served two terms on the church council, serving as President, Secretary, and head of the Social Ministry Committee. He was a past president of the Coon Valley Business Association, served one term on the Coon Valley Village Board and 10 years as the Coon Valley Municipal Judge.

While living on Pumpkin Ridge, Frank enjoyed working on this 15-acre hobby farm, mowing yard and trails in the woods, cutting and splitting firewood. He enjoyed deer hunting on his own property and liked telling how he would stand in the basement and look out the window to wait for them to come running by. He enjoyed reading, as many as 3-4 books a week, collecting Farm-Oyl antiques and was an avid rock hound and self-taught fossil collector.

Frank is survived by his wife, Judy of 57 years, children Bryan of Viroqua and Rhonda Mathison- Sternke (Chad) of Wake Forest, North Carolina; grandchildren, Jiamin Li, Sophie and Ashton Mathison, Isabelle, Penelope and Hadyn Sternke; brothers-in-law, Charles “Chuck" Leuck of Fennimore and John (Kathy) Jeidy of North Carolina; sisters-in-law, Janet (Bob) Bocher of Waukesha and Betty Jeidy of Mt. Ida; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

 He was preceded in death by his parents, son Mike and brothers, Harlan (Pauline), Robert (Mary Lou) and Richard (Sandy); his sisters, Beverly (Leo) Quintino and Marlene Leuck; brothers-in-law, Darrell, Dale, and Dallas Jeidy; nephews Jeremy Mathison, Kevin Mathison, Tony Quintino, Mike Leuck and nieces Leslie Mathison and Brenda Couillard.

 Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday December 28, 2024 at the Coon Valley Lutheran Church. Rev. Ben Morris will officiate. Burial with military honors by the Coon Valley American Legion Post #116 will be in the church cemetery. A visitation will be held at the church on Saturday from 10 a.m. until service time. The Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley is assisting the family. Condolences may be given at selandsfuneralhome.com.