GratiTuesday: Marge & Bob Mathus

My Second Family

Growing up my parents had several close friends. Two of them, Marge and Bob Mathus were like a second set of parents to my brother and me. Their sons, Brian and Brent, were near our age too and we spent a lot of time together in those days. Marge and my mom served on the PTO together and Bob and my dad were Boy Scout leaders, teaching us all something new on each camping trip. Even Marge’s mom, “Granny” Ely was a grandmother figure to us and is the woman responsible for my love of The Golden Girls.

This was all a long time ago. In 1997 my wife and I moved to Alabama and the visits grew less frequent. But now thanks to social media we’ve reconnected with many friends from the past, including the Mathus clan. Fast forward to this past weekend and I was set to wrestle in a steel cage. Yes, for those who don’t follow my pro wrestling blog, I had my second match for Stride Pro Wrestling Saturday night.

My parents, wife and several friends made the trip to Pinckneyville that night. These are all non-typical wrestling fans who wanted to support me. Just before the show started, I peeked through the curtains and saw Bob, Marge and their granddaughter Riley sitting with my family. They all eagerly waved at me and I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran over to greet them and thank them for coming out.

I could hear them cheering for me (along with my folks and Lisa) as Roger Matheus rammed my face into the steel cage, kicked my ribs and stomped on my back. I am grateful to everyone who came out to the event. But obviously the surprise of seeing Marge, Bob and Riley, who traveled well over an hour to be there. It was the cherry on top of a great evening. I regret not getting a photo with them, but the memory of seeing their smiling faces in the crowd will last a lifetime.

The wrestling thing is minor in the grand scheme of things and the relationship our family has had with the Mathus family over the last four decades. It’s a friendship I’ll all cherish even though we don’t see each other all that much anymore.