John Matthew, 80, of East Haddam, Connecticut passed away on January 18, 2026 of respiratory illness. He enjoyed the final months of his life at home with his loving wife, Cynthia.
Born in Providence on March 14, 1945, John grew up in Coventry, Rhode Island. He was the second son of the late Bill and Gladys (Wood) Matthew and beloved brother of Bill, Betsy, and Mike.
John graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence and attended Northeastern University, where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He married Donna Chirlin in 1965, and the couple raised two children, Lisa and Benjamin, in Berkshire County, MA. John and Donna parted in 1983. In 1990, while consulting on a business venture in Stamford, CT, John met Cynthia Trapani; they married in 1991 and lived in Norwalk.
John began his career first as a coop student then research engineer for the Beloit Corporation in Pittsfield, MA, where he later became Research Director and VP of Engineering and Sales. In 1980, while on leave from Beloit, John obtained an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After leaving Beloit, he founded with Jake Goodyear a start-up company, NIC FINEBAR, that produced pulp and paper refiner plate technology using a fabrication method that John had developed and patented. FINEBAR refiner technology is now owned and produced by a Canadian enterprise. John was granted numerous patents throughout his career; in 2004, in recognition of his outstanding technical accomplishments, he received a Technical Award and Harris O. Ware Prize from TAPPI, the technical association of the pulp and paper industry.
John and Cynthia moved to East Haddam, CT in 2002, where they found the home of their dreams, and have enjoyed restoring their civil war era farmhouse on Creek Row. In East Haddam John was a member of the Friends of Harlo Haagenson (2004-2005), a group that protected the conservation status of the Harlo Haagenson preserve on Creek Row. He served on the East Haddam Planning and Zoning Commission (2007-2013) and was treasurer of the East Haddam Land Trust (2013-2016). John was a friend to neighbors and always willing to offer help and advice when asked.
John loved building things, sailing in the ocean, sipping scotch by the fire, and hiking trails with his dog. He was fascinated by the universe and in retirement explored mathematical models that might describe the underlying physical structure and mechanics of space.
John is survived by his wife, Cynthia, children, Lee and Ben, brother Bill (Candy), sister Betsy (Ted Archibald), brother Mike (Joanne), sister-in-law Denise (Ed Whatley), granddaughters Quinn and Valenka, grandson Christopher, and numerous loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Quiet, kind, principled, independent, funny, and unassuming, John was the very best of men and will be dearly missed!
Memorial donations may be made to the East Haddam Land Trust www.ehlt.org and are greatly appreciated by the family.
Born in Providence on March 14, 1945, John grew up in Coventry, Rhode Island. He was the second son of the late Bill and Gladys (Wood) Matthew and beloved brother of Bill, Betsy, and Mike.
John graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence and attended Northeastern University, where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He married Donna Chirlin in 1965, and the couple raised two children, Lisa and Benjamin, in Berkshire County, MA. John and Donna parted in 1983. In 1990, while consulting on a business venture in Stamford, CT, John met Cynthia Trapani; they married in 1991 and lived in Norwalk.
John began his career first as a coop student then research engineer for the Beloit Corporation in Pittsfield, MA, where he later became Research Director and VP of Engineering and Sales. In 1980, while on leave from Beloit, John obtained an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After leaving Beloit, he founded with Jake Goodyear a start-up company, NIC FINEBAR, that produced pulp and paper refiner plate technology using a fabrication method that John had developed and patented. FINEBAR refiner technology is now owned and produced by a Canadian enterprise. John was granted numerous patents throughout his career; in 2004, in recognition of his outstanding technical accomplishments, he received a Technical Award and Harris O. Ware Prize from TAPPI, the technical association of the pulp and paper industry.
John and Cynthia moved to East Haddam, CT in 2002, where they found the home of their dreams, and have enjoyed restoring their civil war era farmhouse on Creek Row. In East Haddam John was a member of the Friends of Harlo Haagenson (2004-2005), a group that protected the conservation status of the Harlo Haagenson preserve on Creek Row. He served on the East Haddam Planning and Zoning Commission (2007-2013) and was treasurer of the East Haddam Land Trust (2013-2016). John was a friend to neighbors and always willing to offer help and advice when asked.
John loved building things, sailing in the ocean, sipping scotch by the fire, and hiking trails with his dog. He was fascinated by the universe and in retirement explored mathematical models that might describe the underlying physical structure and mechanics of space.
John is survived by his wife, Cynthia, children, Lee and Ben, brother Bill (Candy), sister Betsy (Ted Archibald), brother Mike (Joanne), sister-in-law Denise (Ed Whatley), granddaughters Quinn and Valenka, grandson Christopher, and numerous loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Quiet, kind, principled, independent, funny, and unassuming, John was the very best of men and will be dearly missed!
Memorial donations may be made to the East Haddam Land Trust www.ehlt.org and are greatly appreciated by the family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Berard Matthew, please visit our flower store.
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