Eugene Allen Matthews

Obituary of Eugene Allen Matthews (1958 - 2025)

Eugene Allen Matthews, 66, passed away unexpectedly on January 7, 2025, while on a business trip in New York City.

He was born on November 9, 1958, in Sharon, PA to the late Graham Park Matthews, Sr. and to the late Dorothy Mae Shephard Matthews. Eugene was baptized as a Christian at an early age at First Baptist Church in Farrell. He was educated in the public schools of Sharon and graduated as the Valedictorian of the 1976 Class of Sharon High School. He later graduated with honors from Harvard College in 1980; and after one-year of international study at Waseda University in Japan, he entered Harvard Law School in 1981 and graduated in 1984.

Eugene began working as an attorney in Philadelphia for the law firm of Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. He passed the Pennsylvania bar exam while working for the law firm. After working as a lawyer, he decided to change direction and went to Middlebury College for advanced Japanese language training to improve his language skills. Eugene then moved to Japan and began to work for Think Laboratory, a maker of heavy machinery that is used for printing. He served as the international marketing director at Think Laboratory from 1985 to 1987, traveling extensively worldwide. He then opened a subsidiary of Think Laboratory in New York City and later sold it back to the company. Because he could speak Japanese and had vast knowledge of Japan, he then became a Senior Fellow of Japan at the Council on Foreign Relations. He also wrote several articles on Japan for the scholarly journal, Foreign Affairs, and for several news magazines.

A lifelong entrepreneur and fluent Japanese speaker, Eugene founded Ashta International in 1990, establishing its operations in Hanoi, Vietnam. He represented major American corporations including Revlon and American Express, introducing their products to the Vietnamese market. He was the first American businessman to invest in Vietnam and played a key role in lifting the U.S. economic embargo in 1994. Eugene lived and worked in Hanoi for over ten years, becoming fluent in Vietnamese, before returning to the United States. He settled in Telluride, Colorado, which became his home, and launched Nintai Capital Investments, which he led for several years before pursuing new investment opportunities. Eugene spent most of his career in Asia, particularly Japan and Vietnam.

Eugene was also an avid sports fan and followed the NBA and the NFL.

He is survived by a brother The Reverend Dr. Graham Park Matthews, Jr. (Sharon) of Franklin, TN, and four nephews and one niece Kwesi (Tamara) of Detroit, MI, Khary of Washington, D.C, Paul (Tiffany) of Washington, D.C., Angela (Corey) of Slidell, LA, and Emmanuel (Tiffany) of Columbia, MD, and one aunt, Harriet Shephard (Farrell), as well as numerous first and second cousins. Eugene was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Robert Oscar Matthews.

Funeral arrangements are currently incomplete, but a memorial service will be held later.