Daniel Joseph Mathis

Daniel Mathis, 75, died in Indianapolis on September 3, 2021.

He was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, New York and raised on the New Jersey Shore.

He graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1963. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Ball State University and a Principal’s License at Butler University.

He spent forty-three years in secondary education in Indiana as Band Director and Administrator. He considered his work with young people as much a ministry as a career. He became a mentor and role model to many. Most notably, he taught at Mount Summit, Pendleton Heights and Delta High Schools. The majority of his career was at Arlington High School in Indianapolis as Band Director and Vice Principal.

Beloved brother, husband and father, he is preceded in death by his brother Kenneth, and survived by his brother Paul (Pam); sister Lori (Arnold) Swope; wife Mary; five children Jeff Johnson, Melissa (Patrick) Hurley, Sara Fenwick, Joy Mathis, and Annie (Damon) Selle; sixteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren (with two boys on the way). Because it was a tradition in his family, he was called “Pop-Pop”.

A devout Catholic, he was member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Faith, family and friends were everything to him. He made friends easily because he was interested in everyone he met. He always asked to know your name and found out where you went to school. He usually knew your school mascot and Band Director.  Beside the fact that he was an impressive six foot, five inches tall, he was a person that even casual acquaintances liked and remembered. The more you knew him, the more you loved him.

An avid fisherman and sports fan, he made it a priority to teach his children and grandchildren how to fish, how to live with character and how to be on time.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to St. Michael’s Catholic School.