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Ethan school administrator, council member dies at 49
ETHAN ? When Todd Cavanaugh thinks of the years he spent as Terry Mathis? coworker, employee and friend, he remembers a man with an infectious, positive attitude and a desire to see others become the best they could be. ?There were positives at every level of our relationship,? Cavanaugh said. ?He did absolutely everything he could for everybody he came in contact with.?
By: Austin Kaus, The Daily Republic
ETHAN ? When Todd Cavanaugh thinks of the years he spent as Terry Mathis? coworker, employee and friend, he remembers a man with an infectious, positive attitude and a desire to see others become the best they could be.
?There were positives at every level of our relationship,? Cavanaugh said. ?He did absolutely everything he could for everybody he came in contact with.?
Terry Mathis ? the Ethan School District superintendent, principal and athletic director and a former teacher and coach ? died at 3:15 p.m. Monday at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. He was 49.
According to a page dedicated to Mathis on caringbridge.org, he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma. He contracted pneumonia and was admitted to McKennan, and recently was diagnosed with the H1N1 influenza virus.
The Web site said he was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death.
?He had such a positive impact on everybody he came in contact with,? Cavanaugh said. ?He was so willing to help and so efficient and effective at what he did. It had a positive effect not only on Ethan School, but on the community as well.?
Cavanaugh was 24 when he began his second teaching job in Ethan. There, he met Mathis, who was teaching science and coaching both the girls? and boys? basketball teams.
As time went on, their friendship and careers evolved. The two coached together and spent some summers painting and shingling area houses.
Later, Mathis went on to become superintendent and athletic director of the Ethan school. At the time of his death, he also was a member of the Ethan City Council.
Mathis and his family kept friends updated on his condition using caringbridge.org. On many of his posts, he signed off with ?Peace, love, joy,? a motto that adorned T-shirts sold recently to help benefit his recovery.
As Cavanaugh left the hospital Monday, he reflected on the legacy that Mathis left on the town of Ethan.
?He was a lifelong educator, so he cared about all the kids,? Cavanaugh said. ?Obviously, what you do with that effort as a student and as a player is up to you, but you were not going to fail based on the time or effort he put into you.?
ETHAN ? When Todd Cavanaugh thinks of the years he spent as Terry Mathis? coworker, employee and friend, he remembers a man with an infectious, positive attitude and a desire to see others become the best they could be. ?There were positives at every level of our relationship,? Cavanaugh said. ?He did absolutely everything he could for everybody he came in contact with.?
By: Austin Kaus, The Daily Republic
ETHAN ? When Todd Cavanaugh thinks of the years he spent as Terry Mathis? coworker, employee and friend, he remembers a man with an infectious, positive attitude and a desire to see others become the best they could be.
?There were positives at every level of our relationship,? Cavanaugh said. ?He did absolutely everything he could for everybody he came in contact with.?
Terry Mathis ? the Ethan School District superintendent, principal and athletic director and a former teacher and coach ? died at 3:15 p.m. Monday at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. He was 49.
According to a page dedicated to Mathis on caringbridge.org, he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma. He contracted pneumonia and was admitted to McKennan, and recently was diagnosed with the H1N1 influenza virus.
The Web site said he was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death.
?He had such a positive impact on everybody he came in contact with,? Cavanaugh said. ?He was so willing to help and so efficient and effective at what he did. It had a positive effect not only on Ethan School, but on the community as well.?
Cavanaugh was 24 when he began his second teaching job in Ethan. There, he met Mathis, who was teaching science and coaching both the girls? and boys? basketball teams.
As time went on, their friendship and careers evolved. The two coached together and spent some summers painting and shingling area houses.
Later, Mathis went on to become superintendent and athletic director of the Ethan school. At the time of his death, he also was a member of the Ethan City Council.
Mathis and his family kept friends updated on his condition using caringbridge.org. On many of his posts, he signed off with ?Peace, love, joy,? a motto that adorned T-shirts sold recently to help benefit his recovery.
As Cavanaugh left the hospital Monday, he reflected on the legacy that Mathis left on the town of Ethan.
?He was a lifelong educator, so he cared about all the kids,? Cavanaugh said. ?Obviously, what you do with that effort as a student and as a player is up to you, but you were not going to fail based on the time or effort he put into you.?
