Ex-mayor, teacher Roy Mathison dead at 79

Roy Mathison, a former Republican mayor of Lindenhurst and a local teacher and principal for three decades, was buried at Long Island National Cemetery in Pinelawn Monday. He died Wednesday at the age of 79.

Mathison, a U.S. Army veteran, first became mayor in 1996, a post he held for four years. He also served as president of the Suffolk County Village Officials Association for two years, ending in 2000.

"He was truly a gentle man and the kind of fellow who treated everyone with a tremendous amount of respect. He never let being mayor ever go to his head," said Mark Grossman, the association's former executive director.

Earlier, Mathison spent 32 years as an educator in Lindenhurst. He taught at the Niagara Avenue and E.W. Bower elementary schools. He was later principal at the Kellum Street and Albany Avenue elementary schools. He retired in 1990.

Douglas Madlon, deputy village administrator, recalled Mathison was his first male teacher when he reached sixth grade. "He was no nonsense -- very strict. But he made me behave, concentrate and get my work done," he said.

Mathison was first elected as a village trustee as part of a ticket in 1988 that ousted 15-year Democratic Mayor Fred Kost, and began 24 years of GOP control of the village, which continues today. He also ran a losing race for the Suffolk County Legislature in 1993.

Shawn Cullinane, the village clerk-treasurer, said Mathison was not driven by politics but by a love of the village, his lifelong home. "He never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right for the village," he said.

SEE PHOTOSNotable deaths: Long Islanders we recently lost

While mayor, Mathison oversaw the creation of a new village square -- with a gazebo, a white picket fence, benches and brick walkways -- in what once was a blighted corner of Wellwood and East Hoffman avenues. The new park was finished in time for the village's 75th anniversary, replacing several burned-out stores. During his tenure, the village in 1999 also rehabilitated 685 railroad parking spots and added parking at the local station with $2 million in state grants.

A protector of village history, Mathison also preserved a 12-foot-tall lighthouse that had once been the display at a local marine store. Mathison arranged to have the lighthouse moved to the planted median on Wellwood Avenue near Montauk Highway.

Mathison graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 1950. He served in the Army from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War, earning the Bronze Service Star and rising to the rank of sergeant. On his return, he graduated from the State University at Oswego, majoring in education. While teaching, Mathison also worked summers as a state parks police officer.

Survivors include his wife, Gloria; sons Roy and Chris, both of East Northport; a daughter, Karen Rostan of Farmville, Va.; a brother, Herbert, of Selden; a sister, Margaret Kingsland, of upstate Pulaski; and six grandchildren.