Jon David Mathieu
Jon David “Dave” Mathieu passed away peacefully on Monday June 23, 2025 at 83 years old. Dave was born in St. Joseph Michigan in 1941. He grew up in Bridgman Michigan, the son of J. Harold “Curly” and Anne Louise Mathieu. Dave, along with his sister Judy and brother Rich, had a wonderful childhood playing outside in the woods near the shores of Lake Michigan.
Dave was an outstanding student and leader in high school. He excelled in four sports and led the Bridgman Bees to the Basketball Final Four in his senior year of high school.
After high school Dave attended Michigan Technological University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. At Tech, Dave joined the wrestling team, which led to a lifelong love of the sport that he would pass on throughout his life.
After graduation, Dave married Marye Lynn Crawford and first lived in Anderson Indiana and Pontiac Michigan where he worked as an engineer for General Motors. Dave was called to move his family back up to the U.P. and settled in Menominee in 1973. Here, he helped build the Waupaca Foundry and worked as the Plant Engineer there for many years. Dave then had a long career as the Plant Manager at L.E. Jones and ended his career at KSU.
He was an extremely dedicated family man and community servant. He was an active member of Holy Spirit Church and taught youth ministry for many years. He was also on the DAR Board of Directors for over 40 years. Dave was a beloved dad to his own as well as the many children of his whole neighborhood, always giving sled rides, building ice rinks or snow sculptures, and bringing scores of kids running to the DAR yard with a call for “Go Football Players!”.
Dave and Marye were inducted into the Menominee Sports Hall of Fame in 2023 for their tireless dedication to Menominee sports. Dave’s passion for wrestling led him to start a Youth Wrestling Program here that he ran and coached for almost 50 years. Thousands of kids learned about wrestling and all its values from Coach Dave. The Menominee High School wrestling room is named in his honor. His constant and tireless work with youth wrestling, the DAR Boys and Girls Club, and the Maroon Booster Club leave a lasting legacy for the children of our community.
Dave was also a talented artist, woodcarver and carpenter. He was the best fisherman that anybody knew and always made his talents available to anyone who needed them.
Dave is survived by his sister Judy and brother Rich (Joy), son Dave (Sherry, Jake, Stacey), his son Dan (Nancy, Anna, Martha, Jon), and his daughter Carrie May (Drew, Andrew, Reagan). He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years and his son Josh (Nikki, Morgan, Charlie).
Jon David Mathieu leaves behind an indelible legacy of Community Service, Dedication to family, and love for athletics and the outdoors.
A Celebration of Life will take place at the Henes Park Beach House from 5:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, June 27th. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am at Holy Spirit Church on Saturday, June 28th. In honor of Dave, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, any donations can be made to the DAR Boys and Girls Club of Menominee or to Menominee Youth Wrestling.
Cadieu Funeral Home is assisting the Mathieu family with arrangements.