Richard W. "Rick" Matthews

Vernon - Richard "Rick" Matthews, age 71, passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at Morristown Medical Center. Born in Abington, Pennsylvania to the late Lloyd Matthews and Joan M. (Dyson) Dahl, Rick grew up in Plumsteadville, Pennsylvania and lived in Kearny and Clifton before moving to Sussex County in 1981. Rick graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, remained active in the Penn State Alumni Association, and was a Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity member. He had a 47-year career in public relations including tenures at Prudential Financial and TrizecHahn Corporation/Trizec Properties. He also spent 17 years at the renowned New York firm Rubenstein Communications, Inc., specializing in real estate and financial PR, before retiring in 2022. After his retirement, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of spending his days on a golf course by working at the Great Gorge Golf Course in Vernon. Rick was a member of the Tri-States Actors Theater Board, the National Association of Real Estate Editors, and was a program officer for the Prudential Foundation. Besides his parents, Rick was predeceased by his stepmother, Floriene Matthews, stepfather, Stanley T. Dahl, and step-brother, Thomas Dahl. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Susan (Pesansky); his children, Anna Shaffner and her husband Chris of Bound Brook, Evan Matthews of Hoboken and Emma Matthews and her husband Tanner Blee of Santa Barbara, California; his brother, Robert Matthews of Nashville, Tennessee; his sister, Cynthia Ohrberg and her husband Roy of Quakertown, Pennsylvania; his two grandchildren, Bonnie and Diana; his niece and nephews, Pamela Braley, Timothy Bungo, and Carl Ohrberg; his step-siblings, Jeffrey and Stanley Dahl; and six great nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Pinkel Funeral Home, 31 Bank Street (Route 23), Sussex. Friends may pay their respects to the family from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in Richard Matthews' memory to Penn State, designating the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, at raise.psu.edu. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.pinkelfuneralhome.com.