George Mathews Sr.

George Mathews, Sr.

Oak Ridge, TN

George A. Mathews, Sr., 83, passed away on May 4, 2015, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Karol Hubbart Mathews; his children, Karen Cross, Nancy Eilen (Gordon Eilen), and George Mathews, Jr. (Dori Mathews); and grandchildren, Hunter and Taylor Cross, Anna and Alex Eilen, Rhett and Jonathan Newbold, and Jax Mathews; his brother, Gene Mathews (Jolissa Mathews). He is also survived by many in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Percy Mathews and Dorothy Heflin Mathews; also brothers, Robert Dobson, William Mathews, and John Mathews.

Mr. Mathews retired in 2002, from the Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, as CEO. Previously he was employed at Park West Hospital and Baptist Hospital in Knoxville, and Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from the Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary, and earned his masters from the Medical College of Virginia, School of Hospital Administration. He also served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He was a devout member of The Chapel on the Hill church in Oak Ridge.

As an avid Civil War historian, he was an active member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Visiting battlegrounds was a favorite activity of his. He also completed a great deal of genealogical research, finding family Civil War veterans and tracing his roots back to Ireland, Scotland, and beyond. In homage to his Scottish heritage, he was a member of the St. Andrews Society. He even played the bagpipes for the Sons of Scotland Pipe and Drum Corps of Jacksonville, Florida, for many years. His piping also made him familiar to his neighbors.

Growing up as a country boy in rural northern Virginia, he loved the outdoors and gardening. He kept himself fit by jogging long before it was popular. His family fondly remembers adventures in the blue canoe, the large yellow raft, and hikes in the woods, which usually included some blackberry picking. Weekends were for yard work and he could often be found tending his gardens and landscapes. He cared for wildlife and was a dedicated caretaker of his backyard birds and other animals, even the ones that ate his vegetables.

The family will receive friends and family Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., at United Church Chapel-on-The Hill. The funeral service will begin at 1:30 p.m., with Rev. Randy Hammer officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park. An online guest book may be signed at weatherfordmortuary.com.