ST. GEORGE — Friends, colleagues and family members of Greg Mathis have been expressing their condolences and offering words of tribute in the wake of his death last week.
Mathis, 46, a prominent St. George businessman, died Thursday of an accidental fall while on vacation in Mexico. His funeral has been scheduled for Saturday at noon at the Cox Auditorium on the Dixie State University campus.
Mathis started the St. George building design firm MRW Design in 1997. He and his brother Jeff, along with their MRW colleagues, have designed numerous buildings in St. George and surrounding areas, as well as throughout the country, according to his obituary.
“He was a fierce friend to all and truly loved people unconditionally,” the obituary states. “He had a great love for life and lived it to the fullest. Whether you met Greg through casual greetings or business ventures you knew you had the love and support of a true friend from then on. We are all better because we knew Greg.”
Mathis served in numerous leadership roles in the St. George Lions Club and was chairman of the Dixie Roundup Rodeo last year.
He also served on the Winchester Hills water board for a number of years.
Marc Mortensen, the support services director for the city of St. George, said in an online post that he was grateful for Mathis’ commitment to the community.
“I know a lot of people who have filled voids in my community only to make it better and I’m grateful for every one of them,” Mortensen said. “Greg Mathis was definitely one of them. Peace be with you, brother.”
St. George Mayor Jon Pike also expressed his condolences, calling Mathis a “personal friend.”
I am deeply saddened at the passing of Greg Mathis. He contributed incredibly to our community through the Lions Club and professionally through his skills in building design. He was a collaborator and always good natured as he worked together to build and improve St. George. Greg was a personal friend, and I am going to miss him so much.
State Sen. Don Ipson, another longtime friend of Mathis, told St. George News that Mathis was “an individual that’s bigger than life.”
“He did a lot for me, everything from make sick cars run fast, to build my buildings, to build homes for me and fix my floods,” Ipson said. “He was my go-to guy. I can’t imagine a world without Greg in it.”
Ipson added that it seemed like Mathis was someone that could do anything.
“He was a mechanic. He was a builder. He was architect. A perfect gentleman,” he said. “He was a friend to everyone who knew him. He will leave a hole in our community that will be awfully irreplaceable.”
Ipson said for being “an incredible giant of a man,” Mathis also had a gentler side.
“He was an incredible father. He and his wife had as sweet of a relationship as anybody I’ve ever known,” Ipson said. “He just was an incredible giant of a man, but yet he was so tender and so kind and loving.”
St. George City Councilman Joe Bowcutt noted that in addition to serving as Dixie Roundup Rodeo chairman, Mathis was also a former president of the St. George Lions Club.
“The passing of a member of the Lions always leaves a void,” Bowcutt said. “His efforts to the Lions, to the commercial building community, to all his friends, and especially to his wife and family will not be forgotten.”
Current Lions Club president, Kay Benson, concurred. “Greg will be deeply missed for all he did for the Lions Club and our community,” Benson said.
Mathis, a native of Price, graduated from Carbon High School in 1990. He and his wife Jessica, who were married in 1995, are the parents of four sons: Joshua, 19; Henry, 17; Kyle, 13; and Isaac, 11.
In addition to his wife and sons, Mathis is survived by his parents, Frank and Marie Mathis, and five siblings.
Melisa Karns, Greg Mathis’ sister, said she and her siblings wanted to collectively express their appreciation for their brother via the following written message:
We are grateful for the memories we have of our brother Greg; many fun family adventures, working together, growing and learning about life. Greg was so good to us and our children. He was generous with his time, talents, and love. We always knew Greg would do anything for us. He will be greatly missed in our family.
A public viewing will also be held prior to Saturday’s funeral, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Cox Auditorium. Another viewing will be conducted Friday evening from 5-8 p.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George.
Mathis’s brother Jeff Mathis, with whom he worked at MRW Design, said any of Greg’s fellow motorcycle riders are invited to ride their bikes in the procession from the funeral service to the cemetery.
“Bring your bikes and let’s do him proud!” Jeff Mathis said.
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A terrible loss to the community.
I’m so sad for this great family. Greg was a wonderful husband, father, community member, and friend.