Don Michael Matthews

Don Michael Matthews of Edmond, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on June 15, 2025 at the age of 86 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was an avid traveler and loving grandfather and will be missed by his family and friends.
Don was born on July 23, 1938 in Ringling, Oklahoma to Arthur E. Matthews and Ola Elsie (Stewart) Matthews. The second oldest of five children, he grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, graduating from Edmond Memorial High School in 1957. He joined the United States Army in 1958, serving as a radio operator in Korea. After being discharged, he attended Central State University where he was on the tennis team. Upon earning a masters degree, he spent most of his career teaching business at Rose State College, where he touched the lives of thousands of students. He married Connie Ann Garrett in 1963, with whom he had two daughters, Cynthia and Carolyn. After they divorced, he married Jana Pettit in 1984, with whom he had one daughter, Kayli. All three of his daughters will forever remember the extensive journeys they took with him and will always be grateful for the love of traveling that he sparked in them. During his life, he traveled to all 50 states and in 2023, his journey to Antarctica completed his quest to visit all seven continents. Even in his final days, he never stopped planning his next travel venture.
Don is survived by his three daughters and sons-in-law: Cynthia (Jacky) Parish of Oklahoma City; Carolyn (Joseph) Spraul of Effingham, Illinois; and Kayli (Johnny) Morris of Granbury, Texas. He is also survived by eight grandchildren to whom he was devoted and who will miss him dearly: Zachary White and Andrew Brown (special friend Nora Nguyen); Jonathan, Allison, Charlotte and Olivia Spraul; and Barrett and Everett Morris. He is also survived by his ex-wife Jana Pettit, his brother Johnny Matthews, his sister-in-law Marsha Matthews, and many nieces and nephews. Don will be missed by his family and friends, especially his best friend of over 60 years, George Prafka. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife Connie Ann (Garrett) Cantrell, his parents and three of his siblings, Arthur Matthews, Clyde Matthews and Barbara Haiduk.
Don's ashes will be interred in the Seaman First Class Billy Turner Veterans Cemetery in Ardmore, Oklahoma on July 25, 2025. A celebration of Don's life will be held on July 26, 2025. Details will be posted when they are available.