Ветеран Корейской войны Ральф Мэтисон похоронен с воинскими почестями на семейном кладбище

CHRISTINE — Ralph Marlin Mathison, a Korean War veteran and longtime Fargo businessman, was buried with full military honors Friday at Hemnes Cemetery near the family land his great-grandparents homesteaded generations ago. Mathison died Aug. 12 at his home in Fargo. He was 93. ADVERTISEMENT Family members said Mathison had asked specifically to be buried at Hemnes Cemetery rather than a veterans cemetery so he could rest beside his brothers who also served in the military. "He wanted to be buried next to his brothers who are veterans," said Nancy Mathison, Ralph Mathison's niece. "So we made his wishes come true." Nancy Mathison said the family has cared for the small cemetery for years and that generations of Mathisons are buried there. "It's basically for our great-grandparents and grandparents, aunts and uncles and everything," she said. "We're all here." Mathison was born July 3, 1933, on the family farm near Christine to Ole and Minnie Mathison. He was baptized at Christine Lutheran Church and confirmed at Hickson Lutheran Church. He attended Hickson Public School and graduated from Comstock High School in Comstock, Minnesota, in 1951. Nancy Mathison said her uncle was born about 100 yards from where family members gathered for the burial, on land that was later lost when the family homestead was torn down for a regional flood diversion project. "We're like the fifth generation here," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Mathison was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Colorado, where he served as a ski instructor. Nancy Mathison said the training shaped the rest of his life. "He was taught it when he was in the service, and I think he enjoyed it more than most people," she said, adding that Mathison later taught skiing to his nieces and nephews. After his discharge, Mathison farmed with his brothers for a time and hauled mail for the rural U.S. Post Office out of Fargo. He later worked for Northern Heating and Home Heating before starting his own business, Ralph's Heating Service. Nancy Mathison said many of his customers were in the Hickson and Christine area, and that he stayed close to his rural roots even after decades in business. "He was a farm boy at heart," she said. Family members said Mathison remained a favorite among nieces and nephews well into adulthood. "He played with the kids. He was one of the second youngest of the uncles, and he always played with us," Nancy Mathison said. "He played softball with us, kick the can and played pool with us. He was always energetic." Mathison enjoyed hunting, fishing, softball and camping, and traveled to Germany, Norway and New York, as well as by motor home to California, Washington and Las Vegas. He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Fargo and was known for his Western shirts, blue jeans and cowboy boots. ADVERTISEMENT Nancy Mathison said full military honors meant a great deal to her uncle, who had watched the same tribute given to his brother, Arthur Mathison. "We had military honors for my uncle, and he said, 'I want one just like that,'" she said. "We pretty much planned it just like that. In fact, they went above and beyond, I think. It was beautiful." About 20 nieces and nephews traveled from across the country for the service, including relatives from California and Minnesota. Nine were able to attend in person. "It means a lot to us," Nancy Mathison said. "Ralph meant a lot to us." Mathison is survived by his sons Jeffery and Jonathan, and daughter Brenda Cochran, along with several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Joseph, Maynard, Oliver, Howard, Arthur and Allan, and sisters Inez Boseley and Marlys Mertz.