John Paul Matthews

John Paul Matthews, known by most as "Paul", passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Port Jefferson, New York.

Paul was born September 13, 1932 in Freeport, New York to Victor Willis and Alice Matthews. As a child, he looked up to and adored his two older sisters, Joy and Sue, and his older brother, Victor. As a young man, after serving as a Corporal in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he returned to New York from Germany to marry his sweetheart Dorothy Gloria Swanson, aka "Dot" in 1955. They were the first couple ever married in the Freeport Church of the Nazarene, a church that his father, a realtor, had helped build. Their love and devotion to each other lasted 68 wonderful years.

Paul graduated from SUNY Farmingdale in 1959 with a degree in electronics and eventually went on to work at Grumman Aerospace Corporation in Bethpage, New York. As part of the team working on the Apollo Lunar Module program, he got to sign his name on a poster that was photographed and sent as a negative to the moon, an accomplishment and fun fact he loved to share with others.

In his free time, Paul enjoyed being active - walking, skating, and biking well into his later years. Many of his energetic endeavors often ended at his favorite ice cream shop, Baskin-Robbins. He also enjoyed games like chess, checkers, horseshoes, Monopoly, ping pong and carrom, playing them with skill and a smile that concealed his competitive streak.

A little claim to fame was his appearance on the television show "Bowling for Dollars" in the 1970s. But while he often scored a lucky strike on his first turn bowling, he made the mistake of warming up beforehand (and threw a strike). But when the cameras turned on, he was out of strikes, earning him just a few bucks instead of the big jackpot. His children were impressed to see him on TV nonetheless.

Always a fan of taking the so-called "scenic route", Paul loved long drives and family camping trips, especially up to Camp Taconic in upstate New York. He was even briefly a limousine driver for some wealthy clients, shuttling them from Long Island to New York City and back.

But no matter where he went, he was almost always making music, whistling and singing, tinkering around on the piano, keyboard, and harmonica. Almost anything could inspire him to break into song. Allegedly a tenor, no harmony was too hard for him to attempt and improvising was his specialty. Some of his favorite hymns included Blessed Assurance, Love Lifted Me, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

A man deeply committed to his faith throughout his life, Paul was a Board Member and Song Leader of the Church of the Nazarene in Bellmore, where his uncle Clifton Titus Matthews was a pastor. He always looked for opportunities to preach and spread the word of Jesus. He aimed to share his love of the Lord with anyone and everyone he met, and to live up to the principles of the Bible, demonstrating his faith by actions, not just words.

Paul is survived and will be greatly missed by so many loved ones, including, but not limited to his six children: Cathy (Robert) McCleery, Judy Gruber, Donald Matthews, Edward (Lisa) Matthews, Clifton (Lesa) Matthews, and Paul (Patrice) Matthews; eleven grandchildren: Kimberly, Rob, David, Megan, Valerie, Kyle, Sarah, John, Cullen, Donovan, and Jillian; and great-grandson Nico. He is preceded in death by his dear wife Dorothy, his son-in-law Edward Gruber, and his siblings.

He will always be remembered for his faith, his smile and his singing, and his loving and gentle nature towards all.

Paul will be remembered at the services held at

Overton Funeral Home, 172 Main Street, Islip, NY 11751.

Visitation will take place on

Sunday, May 12th from 5:30pm-8:30pm, and on

Monday, May 13th from 2:00pm-4:30pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm.

A Funeral service will be held at

Bay Shore Church of the Nazarene, 1314 Pine Acres Blvd., Bay Shore NY 11706 on

Tuesday May 14th at 9:30am

followed by interment at Calverton National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul's name may be made to Bay Shore Church of the Nazarene or to one of the Church's missions,

"To Haiti With Love,"

C/O Tom Albanese,

32 Bayview Avenue,

Valley Stream, NY 11581.