Obituary of Robert Matthews

He was born on October 22, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York to Robert Richard Matthews and Beatrice Morell Matthews. He is predeceased by a younger brother Bruce Matthews. Bob's early career was as a Draftsman for Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, NY. He then opened Matthews "Mobile" gas service station and then Matthews Auto Body Repair Shop which later led him to become the Founder of Matthews Buses Inc. and owner of Upstate Transit in Saratoga Springs, NY, both later became wholly owned subsidiaries of the Matthews Group Inc, which now includes Matthews Specialty Vehicles, Rifled Air Conditioning, and Matthews Mobile Media all located in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was happily married to Justine Hackett Matthews for 63 years, living first on Long Island, NY and then later in Dansville, NY where they raised their family of 5 sons. Bob retired in 1995 and moved to Florida and also spent many years traveling the USA with Justine in their motorhome. They later returned to Dansville to make it "home" once again. Bob was passionate about aviation and was a licensed multi-engine & instrument rated pilot and a glider pilot. He put his love of aviation to good use when building Matthews Buses making countless trips with customers to visit the Thomas Bus manufacturing facility. He also enjoyed skiing and golf and was quite an accomplished artist and sculptor. He took great pride in being a member of the Ancient & Secretive Order of Quiet Birdmen since1982. He also was a member of the Lions Club, Rotary Club, and Thomas Built Buses Distributor Council. He also earned the coveted Distributor of the Year Award for excellence for Thomas Built Buses twice. He is survived by his wife Justine Hackett Matthews, five sons, Guy and wife Betsy, Mark and wife Kate, Rob and wife Rhonda, Glenn and wife Lori, Brad and wife Nancy, eleven grandchildren and four great grandchildren, to whom he was affectionately known as "Bunky". There will be a private memorial service for family on Saturday November 17th, followed by a celebration of life reception open to all friends, starting at 3:00PM at Scovill's Grill located at 60 Red Jacket Street in Dansville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors of America at www.woundedwarriorproject.org. or via a mail form downloaded from this site and sent to: Wounded Warrior Project PO Box 758517 Topeka, KS 66675. Bob touched the lives of many and will be missed by all who knew him.