Tributes

Clyde Henry Mathis passed away at home on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013 at the age of 99. He was surrounded by Esther, his loving and devoted wife of nearly 77 years, their children Rosemary and Carl, their daughter-in-law Rosemary, and several of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Clyde was born on May 16, 1913 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He graduated from high school in Tulsa and went on to study chemistry in Rolla, Missouri, at the school now known as Missouri University of Science and Technology. He completed his M.S. In Organic Chemistry at Kansas State Teachers' College in Pittsburg, Kansas, where he met Esther at a dance. They married on July 24, 1936 in Pittsburg. He worked for Phillips Petroleum Company for over 40 years, and earned more than 40 patents for his contributions to the petrochemical industry. Some of his most notable patents include the invention of a new process for the treatment of synthetic rubber polymers; a process and apparatus for removing heat from catalysts undergoing regeneration; the invention of a new resin for plugging leaks in oil wells, tanks and pipes; processes for the purification of gases; an improved process and apparatus for the recovery, separation, and purification of organic compounds with conjugated structures; and the invention of an improved process for creating thiourea. After working at the Phillips plants in Borger, Texas and Bartlesville, Oklahoma for many years, Phillips began sending him and Esther all over the world to help further the development of chemical plants in other countries. They traveled and worked for several years in France, Australia, Japan, and Brazil. Clyde was a proud member of the American Chemical Society for over 75 years. Upon retirement in 1976, he and Esther purchased a mountaintop farm near Huntsville, Arkansas, where they planted acres of grapes, peaches, and apples. They also built and maintained five ponds for beauty and fishing. He taught his grandchildren how to fish, drive the tractor and the old red pickup truck, and how to enjoy the results of hard work. In 1997, Clyde and Esther sold their beloved farm and built a house in town. In May of 2012, he and Esther moved to Beach Park, Illinois, where they would be closer to family. As much as Clyde loved being a father and grandfather, he may have loved being a great-grandfather even more. Clyde is survived by his cherished wife, Esther Nell; daughter Rosemary L. Butterbaugh and son Carl B. (Rosemary) Mathis; grandchildren Laura (Steve Lindeman) Butterbaugh, Louise (Terrance) Herberger, Lucile Butterbaugh, Charles (Heather) Mathis, Chris (Nancy) Mathis, Eric Mathis, and Anne Stander; and great-grandchildren Andrew and Rachel Mathis, Elaine, Terra, and Margaret Herberger, and Denly and Eleanor Butterbaugh Lindeman. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie B. and Rachel Mathis, his brother Carl C. Mathis, his daughter Barbara Anne, his son-in-law William H. Butterbaugh, and Dingo, the best dog who ever lived. Funeral services were held on Friday, April 5, at the Huntsville United Methodist Church with The Reverend Frank Cook and Allen Crum officating. Graveside services were held on Saturday, April 6, at the Mount Olive Cemetery in Pittsburg, Kansas, under the direction of Brashears Funeral Home www.brashearsfuneralhome.net of Huntsville, Arkansas.

Tributes

Clyde Henry Mathis

May 16, 1913 - March 31, 2013