Monte M. Matheson

Funeral services for Monte M. Matheson, age 91, of Ortonville, MN will be held at the Congregational United Church of Christ at Ortonville on Saturday, March 24, beginning at 11 a.m. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Pastor Karen Evenson will officiate. Military Honors will be provided by Gertje-Van Lith American Legion Post #220 of Big Stone City, SD. Burial will be in the Hayden Cemetery at Madison, MN. Monte Merland Matheson was born February 7, 1921 in Sioux Falls, SD to parents Clarence and Hattie (Rosenwald) Matheson. The family moved to Madison, MN in 1937. Monte graduated from Madison High School in June, 1940 and attended SDSU, Brookings, SD for two years. He enlisted in the USAF in 1942. While awaiting his call to active duty, he worked as a welder in the Kaiser Shipyards, Oakland, CA for 9 months. He was called to active duty in February, 1943 and was assigned to the Air and Airways Communication Service of the USAF. He served for 13 months at an isolated weather outpost in Greenland during WW11 and continued in active duty until 1953. He was stationed at Kelly AFB, TX, Mitchell Field, NY, Adak, Aleutian Islands, AK, Fort Snelling, MN, Fr. Monmouth, NJ, Offutt AFB, NE, Seoul, Korea, Tokyo, Japan and Hickman AFB, HI. On September 25, 1945 Monte was united in marriage to Margaret Marie Hauck of Madison, MN. In 1953 the Mathesons settled in Minneapolis where Monte attended the University of Minnesota for two years, majoring in electrical engineering. He started his own business as an electrician technician and continued for 21 years at which time he had his first bout with cancer. In 1978 he went to work as an electronics trouble shooter for Control Data Corp. until he retired in 1983. The Mathesons moved to Ortonville to spend their retirement years on the shores of Big Stone Lake. Monte was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ and served on the Church Council and Buildings and Grounds committee. He was a charter member of the Big Stone County chapter of Pheasants Forever. Monte was also a member of the Library Board, Friends of the Library, Chamber of Commerce, Kinship Program, RSVP and Man to Man Cancer Support Group. His hobbies included reading, hunting, fishing, fly tying and wood carving. In later years he enjoyed watching sports and political debates on TV and taking his dog "Bea" for a walk in his scooter. Monte died at the Ortonville hospital on March 14, 2012. Survivors include his daughter Cheri Reding of Hager City, Wisconsin, son Bob and wife Nancy of Minneapolis, grandson, Jacob Reding, granddaughter, Mary Matheson Cool, 4 great grandchildren, primary care giver Andria Rabe of Big Stone City, SD., and Monte's many Hill Top Café coffee drinking buddies. Preceding him in death were his wife Margaret Matheson, his parents, a sister Cleo Carsrud, and an infant brother. Memorials are preferred to the Ortonville Health Services or the Congregational United Church of Christ of Ortonville.