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Retired New York City Police Department Detective Donald Richard Matthews of Westhampton Beach died on June 7 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was 80 and had battled cancer for the past few years.
Born in Brooklyn on August 31, 1932, to Agnes (Moran) and Edwin B. Matthews, he attended boarding school in Quebec, as did his three sisters. He graduated from Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland, and attended many class of 1950 reunions. After completing ROTC programs at Spring Hill College in Alabama and St. Michaels in Vermont, he later served three years in the U.S. Army before joining the New York Police Department.
Mr. Matthews spent his retirement years managing his properties in Westhampton and Delray Beach, Florida. Survivors said he spent his free time socializing with neighbors, his many friends and beloved family members, and that his interests included tennis, fitness, walking and biking around town, running on the beach, yard sales and eating sweets. He enjoyed good food and wine with friends, dancing and listening to Big Band music. He was interested in history and politics, was a regular Imus listener, kept up with news in The New York Post and loved to learn new things.
Mr. Matthews took great pride in his physical condition and remained very active up until he began chemotherapy treatments in December 2012. Although a confirmed bachelor, he was a charming boyfriend and maintained lifetime friendships with many of the women he dated, according to his survivors. Those who knew him said that he didn’t often feel the need to hold back his feelings or opinions. He was “charismatic, caring, funny, eccentric, frugal but generous, conscientious, industrious, enthusiastic, unfiltered and strong-minded,” they said, adding, “He loved to entertain and be surrounded with love and laughter and will be remembered by many for the annual pool party he hosted with his family.”
In addition to his parents, Mr. Matthews was predeceased by his sisters, Joan VandenBrul, Marjorie Corr and Nancy Hayes; fiancée, Claire Parsons and a half-sister, Helen Plassman.
He is survived by his longtime friend and partner of 21 years, Joanie Fleming of Florida; 11 nieces and nephews, Donald VandenBrul, William VandenBrul, Robert Hayes, John Corr and Patricia (VandenBrul) Nunnari, Kristin VandenBrul, Elizabeth (Hayes) Gallagher, Laura (Hayes) Dienzo, Jennifer (Hayes) Thompson, Pamela (Hayes) Eutermoser and Helen Corr; and 19 grandnieces and grandnephews. He is also survived by a half-brother and two half-sisters, whom he recently connected with, Andrew Matthews, Patricia Matthews Peabody and Brenda LeBeau.
A memorial gathering will be held on Friday, August 16, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 33C Baycrest Avenue, Westhampton Beach. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, Empire State Lyme Disease Association, P.O. Box 874, Manorville, NY 11949, or the Imus Ranch, P.O. Box 250, Ribera, NM 87560 or www.imus.com/imus-ranch.
on Aug 7, 2013