John Matous, 91, of Wichita, KS, died November 24, 2023, after suffering from a fall. He was born in Lincoln, NE, on January 7, 1932, and was the third child of Stanley and Rose Matous.
John graduated from Wichita North High School in 1951 and married his high school sweetheart, Elda Marie Thomison, in 1951. In 1954, John and Elda made a decision that changed their lives. He decided to go to college and attended Pittsburg State Teachers College where he also played quarterback and led the Gorillas to two conference titles and one national championship. John graduated from PSU in 1958 and pursued a career in education and of course coaching. He taught and coached in several places, including: Adrian, MO, Udall, KS, Larned, KS, and finally at Hutchinson Community Junior College, where he eventually retired in 1992. John was very proud to be the head coach of the Hutchinson Blue Dragon football team for 15 years. He said that he was privileged to have coached some great players and even more great men! John’s overall record was 96-50-6, and in 1969, his team went 11-0 and won the Sterling Bowl. He was inducted into the Hutchinson Community College Quarterback Club Hall of Fame in 2000, and into the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
After retiring from coaching, John and Elda decided to stay in Hutchinson to raise their family. He was a physical education teacher at HCC and continued to add new curriculum to that program. Courses such as: weight lifting, karate, racquetball, camp counseling, and even a winter survival class. John was constantly looking for ways to create opportunities for young adults to be better, smarter, and stronger.
He loved football and he loved his friends, but most of all, he loved his family! John lived a wonderful and full life, and will be missed by all those whose lives he touched!
John was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Elda Marie Matous, who died in 2015.
He is survived by: his children, Linda (Sach) Mathur, Ken (Ruth) Matous, and Judy (David) Hogan; grandchildren, Brett (Alex) Hogan, Lindsay Hogan, Kendall (Chip) Schellhorn, and Kris (Bethany) Mathur; great-grandchildren, Caroline Schellhorn, Ellie Schellhorn, and Bridgett Mathur; and brother, Jim (Naomi) Matous.
Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday, December 15, 2023, at Elliott Mortuary. Friends may sign the book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, at Elliott Mortuary. The memorial service can be viewed online beginning at 10:45 a.m. on the day of the service by going to John’s obituary on the Elliott Mortuary website and clicking on the link located at the end of the obituary.
Click here to view the memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to HCC Endowment Association to benefit the Football Scholarship Fund, in care of Elliott Mortuary and Crematory, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.