Ronald W. Matthews

Augusta, GA – Entered into rest on Thursday, June 22, 2023, Ronald William Matthews, 77, most wonderful husband of 48 years to Sharon K Matthews.

Ron was the second of nine children to Zella and Carl Matthews; born in Vancouver, Washington. The family moved around during his childhood and ended up purchasing property on Yelm Creek that Ron found for them in Yelm, Washington. They built a home there, which descendants of the family still own and live in today.

Ron went to Washington State University to pursue a degree in forestry, but after two years he was drafted for the Vietnam War. He went to advanced training for the howitzer, but due to a paperwork error, Ron and another soldier were denied entry. Due to this mix up, Ron was allowed to pick his assignment and choose to go to Korea instead of Vietnam. Almost 50 years later, it was found that Agent Orange was sprayed on the area Ron was deployed to, which led to his battle with Parkinson’s. However, the symptoms did not appear until his early 70’s.

Ron led a very full life. He met his wife Sharon in 1973 while working at a fiberboard plant in Medford, Oregon. He advised his friends he was going to marry her before he thought to ask her. She still reminded him of that even after 48 years together. They had two children together, John and Debbie. The family moved to New Mexico, New York, Ireland, Mississippi and finally Georgia as Ron worked in wood product plant start-up. In the many towns they lived in, he was active as a church member, Boy Scout leader, and Lions Club member. He renovated numerous houses and churches along the way as he was adept at electrical work, carpentry, and basic plumbing.

Ron’s favorite things to do were traveling and learning new things. The family often drove cross country including many stops to visit friends and family. After their retirement, Ron and Sharon ended up in Martinez, Georgia near their grandchildren. Up until the last few years, they still enjoyed life to fullest, owning a camper that they took to rallies and cross country many times.

Surviving Ron are his wife Sharon, daughter Debbie, son John and his wife Stephanie, their children Emily and Benjamin. His brothers and sisters and their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are still mostly in Washington State.

The funeral service will be held Wednesday, June 28th, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. at Quest Church in Grovetown with Forest Page and Dusty Wammack officiating. Interment will be at a later date at the Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn, Washington.

Memorial contributions may be made to the CSRA Parkinson’s Foundation ( https://www.parkinsoncsra.org/ ), Parkinson’s Foundation GA Chapter ( https://www.parkinson.org/georgia ), or Quest Church.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday at 10:30 at Quest Church, 5001 Gateway Blvd. Grovetown, GA 30813.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com .