Robert “Skip” Matthews, 84, of Palm Desert, California, died in his home on the morning of Friday, January 23rd, 2026, surrounded by his wife and sons.
Skip was born on December 15, 1941, the second of four children to Art and Polly Matthews of Ferguson, Missouri. He had an idyllic Midwest childhood, playing baseball with his friends and attending Catholic schools. He enjoyed being an altar boy and tormenting the nuns, whose kindness and patience deepened his Catholic faith and his devotion to the church. When he was twelve, Skip contracted polio and was admitted to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where he remained for months. Because it was unknown then whether polio was contagious, Skip was placed in isolation, where he feared he would never see his family again. When at last he was well enough to go home, his mother devoted herself to his therapy until he finally regained the ability to walk. His recovery from that terrifying disease left Skip with an overwhelmingly positive disposition and a determination to meet every new day as a gift. Skip never again took for granted his ability to walk or move his body. He took great pleasure in exercise, and before he died he was still pedaling more than 400 miles a month on his stationary bike.
After his recovery from polio, Skip went on to graduate from William Cullen McBride High School in 1959. He then attended Ranken Tech, where he discovered his love for electrical engineering. In 1962 Skip joined the US Navy and made his home on the aircraft carrier USS Independence for three years. When he was discharged, he enrolled at the Rolla School of Mines and Metallurgy, earning his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1968. Skip’s personality made him a natural salesman, so he embarked on a successful decades-long career in sales for Westinghouse and A.O. Smith. Although his career was fulfilling, Skip’s real vocation was always in comedy. He was a born comic, but started performing standup officially during his college years. One of his first regular gigs was at the Parkway House in St. Louis, where he met a gorgeous young woman by the name of Maureen Dolan. They dated for a year before tying the knot on August 21, 1970. Their sons John and Rob completed their beautiful family, Skip’s crowning achievement.
Skip and Maureen raised their boys in St. Louis and then lived in Memphis for years before following their son John west to California around 2005. Skip fell in love with Palm Desert, and often remarked how lucky he felt to live in such a beautiful place. In his retirement there, he enjoyed daily mass and pool games with his best friend Jim, cooking dinner for his wife, and visiting with family every chance he got. He continued to perform comedy, but also began taking daily sojourns into the community, where he would deliver sandwiches, gloves, and all kinds of goodies to the local homeless population or, as he called them, his buddies. Inspired by the power of his lifelong Catholic faith, Skip undertook this outreach passionately, consistently, and without fanfare. Sometimes he brought one of his sons or grandkids along on these outings, and in this way, by example, he passed on the great gift of his life: a sacred regard for his fellow human beings, and a quiet reminder to always care for one another.
As he moved through his regular days, Skip gathered abundant friendship, joy, laughter and love. He had the kind of charisma that drew people to his humor and brightness, but what folks discovered when they leaned into that light was the rarity of a true and selfless heart. He was popular, yes, whether at the grocery store, bank, doctor’s office, church, or just hanging out with his homeless friends in the park. But these interactions were not superficial. He made the people he encountered in his daily life feel special; they loved him.
Skip is survived by the love of his life, Maureen, by their sons John and Rob, and by his six beloved grandchildren, as well as by his sister Kay, and the many nieces, nephews, and grands who adored him. He is also survived by Gigi and Louie, his devoted and heartbroken dogs. The children of his family will remember him as the Popi or Grumple who made life more fun for the people he loved, through jokes and games and ice cream sundaes and flashlight tag and water balloon fights and all manner of tomfoolery. A man who was not afraid to wear a pink, feathered cowboy hat. He is predeceased by his parents, Art and Polly Matthews, and by his brothers, Art Jr. and Tommy. May they be reunited this day in paradise.
In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Skip’s friendship with the local homeless population of Palm Desert, the family asks that you consider a donation to Martha’s Village and Kitchen. Thank you.
Skip was born on December 15, 1941, the second of four children to Art and Polly Matthews of Ferguson, Missouri. He had an idyllic Midwest childhood, playing baseball with his friends and attending Catholic schools. He enjoyed being an altar boy and tormenting the nuns, whose kindness and patience deepened his Catholic faith and his devotion to the church. When he was twelve, Skip contracted polio and was admitted to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where he remained for months. Because it was unknown then whether polio was contagious, Skip was placed in isolation, where he feared he would never see his family again. When at last he was well enough to go home, his mother devoted herself to his therapy until he finally regained the ability to walk. His recovery from that terrifying disease left Skip with an overwhelmingly positive disposition and a determination to meet every new day as a gift. Skip never again took for granted his ability to walk or move his body. He took great pleasure in exercise, and before he died he was still pedaling more than 400 miles a month on his stationary bike.
After his recovery from polio, Skip went on to graduate from William Cullen McBride High School in 1959. He then attended Ranken Tech, where he discovered his love for electrical engineering. In 1962 Skip joined the US Navy and made his home on the aircraft carrier USS Independence for three years. When he was discharged, he enrolled at the Rolla School of Mines and Metallurgy, earning his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1968. Skip’s personality made him a natural salesman, so he embarked on a successful decades-long career in sales for Westinghouse and A.O. Smith. Although his career was fulfilling, Skip’s real vocation was always in comedy. He was a born comic, but started performing standup officially during his college years. One of his first regular gigs was at the Parkway House in St. Louis, where he met a gorgeous young woman by the name of Maureen Dolan. They dated for a year before tying the knot on August 21, 1970. Their sons John and Rob completed their beautiful family, Skip’s crowning achievement.
Skip and Maureen raised their boys in St. Louis and then lived in Memphis for years before following their son John west to California around 2005. Skip fell in love with Palm Desert, and often remarked how lucky he felt to live in such a beautiful place. In his retirement there, he enjoyed daily mass and pool games with his best friend Jim, cooking dinner for his wife, and visiting with family every chance he got. He continued to perform comedy, but also began taking daily sojourns into the community, where he would deliver sandwiches, gloves, and all kinds of goodies to the local homeless population or, as he called them, his buddies. Inspired by the power of his lifelong Catholic faith, Skip undertook this outreach passionately, consistently, and without fanfare. Sometimes he brought one of his sons or grandkids along on these outings, and in this way, by example, he passed on the great gift of his life: a sacred regard for his fellow human beings, and a quiet reminder to always care for one another.
As he moved through his regular days, Skip gathered abundant friendship, joy, laughter and love. He had the kind of charisma that drew people to his humor and brightness, but what folks discovered when they leaned into that light was the rarity of a true and selfless heart. He was popular, yes, whether at the grocery store, bank, doctor’s office, church, or just hanging out with his homeless friends in the park. But these interactions were not superficial. He made the people he encountered in his daily life feel special; they loved him.
Skip is survived by the love of his life, Maureen, by their sons John and Rob, and by his six beloved grandchildren, as well as by his sister Kay, and the many nieces, nephews, and grands who adored him. He is also survived by Gigi and Louie, his devoted and heartbroken dogs. The children of his family will remember him as the Popi or Grumple who made life more fun for the people he loved, through jokes and games and ice cream sundaes and flashlight tag and water balloon fights and all manner of tomfoolery. A man who was not afraid to wear a pink, feathered cowboy hat. He is predeceased by his parents, Art and Polly Matthews, and by his brothers, Art Jr. and Tommy. May they be reunited this day in paradise.
In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Skip’s friendship with the local homeless population of Palm Desert, the family asks that you consider a donation to Martha’s Village and Kitchen. Thank you.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert “Skip” Matthews, please visit our flower store.
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