Ben Mather

Dr. Floyd Benjamin “Ben” Mather passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026, in the presence of his family. Born on November 18, 1937, in Plummer, Idaho, Ben grew up on a farm in western Nebraska. He was raised by his maternal grandmother, uncle and mother. This was because his mother, Ada Mather, often traveled to teach at one-room schoolhouses throughout Nebraska. He rode a horse with his older sister Kay to their one-room schoolhouse until high school. In 1955, he graduated high school in Grant, NE, along with 49 other students in his class. An avid sportsman (football, track, basketball), he enjoyed softball in particular.

That fall he started college at Colorado State University. He met his future wife, Betty Jean (“BJ”), also a CSU student, at church. He would go on to complete his BS and MS degrees in Poultry Science. Ben and BJ dated some during that time, but mainly stayed friends. In 1961, Ben took an opportunity to work as a researcher in the Poultry Science Department at the University of California, Davis. That year, BJ finished her college degree and took a teaching job in Chicago. She planned to fly out to Oregon that Christmas to visit her parents, and, in letters and phone calls, Ben convinced her to come to San Francisco, and together drive up to see her parents. Which they did, and, as Ben shared with his children, “the rest is history.” On December 22, 1962 they married, and a few years later, they welcomed three children to their family. In 1967, after earning his PhD from UC Davis, Ben moved his family to Nebraska where he taught at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. After 12 years, he and his family arrived in Gainesville in 1979 as he joined the faculty at UF’s Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Around Gainesville and at UF, Dr. Mather was known as a man who was a great listener who would lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He cared deeply for his family, friends, UF students and youth in the 4-H club. After decades of mentoring youth to compete in the 4-H club competitions and helping them win many national titles for Florida, he was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame in 2019. Always an educator at heart, Ben received the Teacher of the Year Award twice while at UF.

In the early 1990s, he and BJ traveled all through Europe during a sabbatical in Edinburgh. An avid traveller, Ben would eventually visit 49 states in the Union and some 30 countries. After retiring from 25 years at UF in 2004, he and BJ remained in their family home in Suburban Heights until recently moving to senior living. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Betty Jean, daughter Marla Mather, son Brian Mather, two nieces and one nephew, and preceded in death by his son, Kyle Mather, sister Catherine (“Kay”) Larsen, mother, Ada Mather, and father, Richard Mather.

A funeral service will take place on March 7, 2026, at 1:00 PM, at First Baptist Church, 14105 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. A viewing will be held the previous day on Friday March 6, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM, at Milam Funeral Home, 311 S Main St, Gainesville.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Heifer International, where one can “buy” a chicken or part of one.