May 2, 1928 - November 17, 2013
Larry Matthews, age 85, of Richfield, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away November 17, 2013. Preceded in death by parents Lewis and Orlinda Matthews, sisters Betty Reiter and Gerene Wooldridge, all of the great state of Iowa. Larry is survived by devoted wife of 59 years, Barb; children, Pam Matthews Kerber, Jeff (Deb), Joe (Stephanie), John (Kathe), Mary (Scott) Tracy, Amy (Jon) Purintun; 15 grandchildren, Lindsay, Jason, Paul, Allison, Alyssa, Natalie, Kristen, Brett, Justin, Zach, Nick, Ava, Sarah, Ella and Julia; sister Shirley (Dorrance) Brady; and loving nieces and nephews.
Larry was born and grew up on a farm in Greeley, Iowa. After enlisting and spending 2 years in the Army as a Morse Code Operator, he earned his Agricultural Engineering degree at Iowa State College, fulfilling his dream of becoming an engineer. Larry went on to work for Case Corporation, Univac and Control Data. Larry and 2 other CDC men spun off a successful power supply company, Zytec, which won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1991. After Larry retired in 1993, he spent his time mentoring, advising, and supporting people with a dream of building their own businesses. Larry was a devoted family man and loved coaching his kids’ baseball and basketball teams, and in later years, attending any and every sporting event or activity starring his grandchildren. He was their number one fan!
Larry was a man of deep faith and loved his dear Church of the Assumption and volunteered anywhere needed, from sweeping the Metropolitan Stadium to fund the Activities Building to ushering, lectoring, and managing the Beer Tent for the Fun Fest. Larry also served on the Board of Trustees for Blessed Trinity and the Academy of Holy Angels. He was a passionate supporter of Catholic Education. Larry was an avid traveler, enjoying trips that drew him all around the world for work and adventure. In retirement he continued to travel and road-trip whenever he could. Larry was a humble, gentle, kind, and generous man who always appreciated an invitation to lunch, a good cup of coffee, and a nice stack of pancakes. Larry will be deeply missed by his family and friends and all who knew him.
As Larry would say, “It’s a wonderful life!” God Bless you, Dad. Thanks for giving us a wonderful life.
Memorials are preferred to The Church of the Assumption, St. Paul Seminary or Academy of Holy Angels Endowment Fund.
My prayers and thoughts are with the Larry Matthews family. I worked with Larry at Zytec Corporation. Larry was a kind kind man and a man of deep faith. He always was so positive…especially on the beginning of the work week whenvupon arrival at work, I would be greeted with “Good Old Monday”. He loved his work and the employees at Zytec. We have lost a remarkable angel and heaven has gained a remarkable angel. God Bless you Larry.
Maggie Kleven
At this difficult time our thoughts and prayers are with your family. I worked with Larry from 1973 until his retirement. He was the most down to earth and understanding business executive I ever met. He will be missed.
THANK YOU LARRY – YOUR LIFE IS AN EXAMPLE AND YOUR LOVE ALWAYS WARMS OUR HEARTS WITH GOOD MEMORIES.
To Barb and Family: Our sincere sympathy to the family. He was a man to be respected and so kind. We especially enjoyed he and Barb showing us the Stations of the Cross that they had contributed to, and spending time with them at Holy Angels Academy during Grandparents Day when Jason was attending school there.
Larry was the grandson of my paternal grandpa’s brother, Frank. My husband, Owen & brother, Fred got to know Larry when we began to attend the Matthews reunions held in Manchester, Iowa. Larry was so interested in family history & we enjoyed his company so much. Several times we would attend the fish fries in Greeley with him. One year, he drove us around & gave us a tour of the farms outside of Greeley that had been own by Matthews’ families. Yes, he was a dear, kind, gracious man. I remember his smile, rubbing his hands together, & saying, “this is great.” We have many wonderful memories of him. Our sympathy to Barb & family. Sue Matthews Rose
I’m very fortunate to have worked with such a wonderful man. I worked for Larry at Zytec as the Engineering Administrative Assistant. He was always positive, and encouraging. I’m quite certain that he touched MANY lives during his work and personal experiences as he was such a kind soul. Heaven has surely gained an angel. We’ll miss you Larry.
I, too, got to know Larry at the Matthews Family Reunions held in the later years at Manchester. He alway brought a vast array of old family photos to share. Though we may have been considered shirttail relatives, Larry and my mom kept the connections going. His enthusiasm and devotion will be missed.