Our family lost a dear and tender father, loving husband, and indulgent grandpa on October 15, 2021. George T. Matthes passed at home in Colorado from cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
Born in Chicago, December 14, 1935, to Charles and Louise (Billiat) Matthes, George grew up with two brothers Edward and William (deceased). As a student at Knox College he met his sweetheart and married his wife of 64 years, Lynn Richardson. George is survived by her and their three children and their spouses Laurel (Knox) Crowell, Steven (Jennee) Matthes, and Cara (Tony) York. Also surviving are four grandchildren Daphne Crowell (Michael Steigerwald), Colton Matthes, Leah York and Gareth York, brother Edward (Marilyn) Matthes, brother in law Harold (Julia) Richardson, nieces and their spouses and step grandchildren.
MBA from the University of Chicago in hand, George went to work for Western Electric “maker of Bell telephones”. Many jobs and varied locations later, all for the same company, he retired as Purchasing Director. The first of his family to graduate from college, George delighted in mentoring others as well as working with a local tech school to begin classes leading to job placement and with social studies teachers to introduce business into the curriculum.
He had the amazing ability to tell a really good story (embellishing as necessary). He loved bargaining (even in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar), snorkeling while sailing the Caribbean, always reading every caption at a museum, Pavarotti at the Met, paddling in Turtle Bay on Lake Katherine or cocktail cruises (same lake), feeding those hummers at the cottage, being silly with grandkids and sharing a love of travel with his family.
A family memorial will be held next summer. In lieu of flowers gifts to Mt. Evan Home Health and Hospice https://mtevans.org/.