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Robert Samuel "Bob" Matthews
ROBERT SAMUEL "BOB" MATTHEWS, 63,
died in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 23, 2014.
Bob was born October 19, 1950, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the son of Louise Price
Matthews and James Coy Matthews. Bob attended Jonesboro schools and graduated
from Jonesboro High School in 1968. He earned a BS in Biology from Arkansas
State University, and a DDS from the University of Memphis Dental School. For 10
years he practiced as a dentist with the US Army, in North Carolina, Arizona,
and Alaska. After the Army, he earned an advanced degree in Periodontics from
the VA Hospital dental center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon completion of this
degree, he practiced Periodontics in the Anchorage area, and for the last decade
had a practice on Arlon Street.
Bob was a universally liked and appreciated "good guy", who loved good
conversation, good friends, and good experiences. He was an excellent musician,
particularly on guitar, and he passed this love of music on to his son Michael.
He was an avid reader of books and scientific or astronomical magazines. He was
a lover of animals, especially numerous dogs he and Sandi had over the years. He
deeply appreciated the outdoors and nature, and was an excellent amateur
photographer and gourmet cook. He loved hiking, bicycling, and climbing,
especially Flat Top Mountain which he often did with his son Michael, friend
Warren Urda, and numerous others who shared his love for the outdoors. He was a
skilled woodworker and enjoyed crafting intricate wooden objects such as little
rocking chairs for nephews or clock housings from native woods. Bob was also a
tinkerer and dedicated repair man, and would always risk damage from his own
carpentry, plumbing, or electrical efforts before he would call a professional.
Usually it worked out pretty well.
Bob had a huge number of friends both in Alaska and in his home state of
Arkansas. At various times in his life, he worked on an anthropological dig, as
a guide in a Blanchard Caverns in Arkansas, and as a laborer on an Indiana mint
farm, making in all these experiences friendships that lasted for his lifetime.
He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends with whom he shared
hikes, campfires, and other outdoor adventures.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Sandi and
their son, Michael Todd Matthews of Anchorage; brother, Bill Matthews, wife Edie
and children, Andy and Becky of Norman, Oklahoma; nephew Scott Matthews, wife
Melissa and baby Finley of San Francisco; niece Amy Matthews Duncan, her husband
Mark, and their boys, Jack and Cade.
A celebration of Bob's life will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, March 30 at the
Anchorage Funeral Home, 1800 Dare Ave. in Anchorage
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Friends of Pets, PO Box
240981 Anchorage, AK 99542 or Alaska Public Media.
Arrangements were made by Anchorage Funeral Home.
Source: Alaska Dispatch News, 28 March 2014 |
