Ross Mathews

Ross Mathews, 100, lived a long and beautiful life. He was born December 7, 1924 and raised in Moorhead, MN to Evett and Edith (McCloy) Mathews, and died Monday, March 31st, 2025, at the Fargo Veterans Hospital.

Ross attended country school in Oakport Township and graduated from Moorhead High School. Ross later graduated from NDSU majoring in Electrical engineering. In 1943 he enlisted in the US Army where he served as Staff Sergeant in the artillery division during WW2 doing 3 years in the South Pacific, and in Korea.

Upon arriving home, He worked for Edling Electric for 10 years and then owned and operated Mathews Electric for over 50 Years. His work as an electrician also led him to do important work during historical events, including the Cold War. Ross met, fell in love with and after some charming, married Ruth Eleanor Kreps on August 19, 1950. They were married for 67 happy years before Ruth passed away in 2017. They raised their family of Rae, Rita and Sheri in Moorhead while working side by side with their business.

Ross and Ruth were blessed richly with friendships throughout their years. The stories of those friendships, the trips they took and special events they celebrated together are still shared today. Ross would never pass up a game of golf, rowdy card game or a happy hour telling stories.

Ross leaves quite a legacy behind. He attributed his longevity to staying active and “getting into trouble”. His 8 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren will remember him by so many things including his strong work ethic, penchant for sweets after a meal, reusing a napkin, finding a way to fix just about anything, and having a goal and working hard towards it, no matter what. Ross had a knack for finding a good deal and knowing when to act on it, whether it was buying a top of the line television off the sales floor for cheap, finding a chunk of land in Northern MN and building a lake house on it with his dad and brother or coming across a condo in Ft Myers he couldn’t pass up. Both places will end up being the home to many vacations and memories for the family over the next 60 years. There won’t be a day soon when we don’t think about dad & grandpa and what he has taught and given us, but we are thankful that he is at rest and reunited in heaven with his beloved Ruthie and all those who have gone before him.

Ross is survived by his daughters, Rae (Lynn) Halmrast, Moorhead, MN; Rita Miller, Moorhead, MN; Sheri (Paul) Hohncke, Fergus Falls, MN; 8 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

Celebration of Life: Tuesday, April 8th, 2025, at 2:00 pm with visitation one hour before at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead.

Interment: Riverside Cemetery, Moorhead, MN