Melvin Mathias

Since 2005, Mathias served as commander, quartermaster, and communications chairman of the Jewish War Veterans Pvt. Sam Neivelt Post 407. He also served as corresponding secretary for the Wally Burns Post 8077 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Born in Fulda, Germany in November 1929, he immigrated to the United States in October 1936 with his parents and maternal grandparents to escape religious persecution by the Nazis. Sponsored by relatives who owned the now-defunct Frank's Department Stores, the Mathias family settled on Chicago's South Side.

Growing up, Mel lived in a family-owned, two-flat apartment building. In a unique twist, the family consisted of two brothers – who had married two sisters with each couple having one child – all living under one roof and sharing the second-floor apartment while renting out the first floor. Mel and his parents (Erich and Kathinka) lived with his uncle, aunt and cousin (Ernest, Lena and Sidney). Mel and Sid forged an unusually strong bond more akin to brothers than cousins.

He became a United States citizen on July 7th, 1943. Mathias was drafted into the U.S. Army eight years later and served in the Korean War until 1953. Assigned initially to engineering duties with the 336th Engineer Utilities Detachment, he was reassigned to the plumber role upon his arrival on the Korean Peninsula. He earned the Korean Service medal, National Defense Service medal, United Nations Korean Service medal, Republic of Korea War Service medal, and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation medal. He received an "Ambassador of Peace" medal from the South Korean government. In recognition of his service, he participated in the Chicago Honor Flight in 2016 to visit the Korean War Memorial and other attractions around the Washington, D.C. area.

After his discharge from the military, he started working for his uncle at Quality Sheet Metal Works in Chicago. He eventually became the co-owner with his cousin Sid and ran the HVAC company until it closed in 1992.

He was not afraid to take chances. A decade after his retirement, both of his knees required replacements due to the physical demands of his former profession. He agreed to be among the test subjects for the first use of titanium in knee replacements at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

He met his first wife, Joanne (Decker), on a blind date and subsequently married her in 1955. His family relocated from Chicago’s southeast side to Homewood in 1970, where Joanne passed away in 1990. He later remarried Adrienne (Brill) Cohen in 1993, and the couple remained together until her passing in 2012.

Upon retirement, he enjoyed traveling with his family across parts of the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. Favorite memories included: herding cattle in Ireland with one of his construction contractors; visiting the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, also known as the Western Wall (the last remaining outer wall of the ancient Jewish temple); horseback riding near the Carabali Rainforest in Puerto Rico; a helicopter tour over Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii; multiple visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with family and friends; and several Caribbean cruises. Last summer, he took a 12-day, 4,500-mile driving trip to eight national parks in the western and southern United States to see some of the national parks he had never visited… and of course, the trip had to include a stop in Las Vegas – one of his favorite U.S. destinations.

He was an avid fan of the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears. He passionately followed the men's and women's sports at the University of Illinois. He was also an avid recreational golfer and bowler until injuries prevented him from participating.

Mathias was a member of the congregation of Temple B’nai Yehuda (originally located on Chicago’s south side). In 1971, the Mathias family was one of 13 families that relocated with the temple when it moved to Homewood. He continued to attend the temple in the 1970s and 1980s before joining the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston in the 1990s and 2000s. Finally, he became a member of the reform Jewish synagogue, Temple Beit Shalom in Munster, Ind., which was formed in 2023 when Temple Anshe Sholom consolidated with Temple Beth El.

Survivors include his daughter, Linda Mathias Kaskel (Bruce Kaskel), and his son, Larry Mathias (Sue Haas Mathias); grandchildren Beth Kaskel (Michael O’Neill) and Julie Mathias (Nick Meyer); great-grandchildren Mason and Florence O’Neill; cousin Sidney (Rita) Mathias; and sister-in-law Ruth Berman (late Barry Berman).

A funeral service for Melvin will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Shir Tikvah, 1424 183rd St, Homewood, Ill. 60430. The service will be livestreamed from Weinstein & Piser website:

Following the funeral service, burial will be at Jewish Oakridge Cemetery, located at 4301 W. Roosevelt Road, Hillside, Ill. 60162.

Tzedekah donations in Mel’s memory may be made to the Veterans’ Home at Manteno, 1 Veterans Drive, Manteno, Ill. 60950, or Temple Beth-El, 10001 Columbia Ave, Munster, Ind. 46321.