Richard Matthias

1936 - 2024

Mr. Richard G. Matthias, 88, entered into the light with Jesus, his Savior, on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 12:48 a.m.

A funeral service will be held at noon, Wednesday, April 3, at First Congregational Church, 2001 Niles Ave, St. Joseph, MI 49085. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service, from 11 a.m. to noon. Burial will be at Hickory Bluff Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Richard's memory may be directed to First Congregational Church Music Ministry.

Richard "Dick" was born on Feb. 28, 1936, in Lackawanna, N.Y. He was adopted by Grafton and Florence Matthias and grew up in Redford Township and Farmington. Dick attended Hillsdale College, where he triple-majored and met the love of his life, Shirley Schoonmaker. The happy couple were married on June 20, 1959. After college, Dick served his country while in the United States Army. He was honorably discharged and moved to Benton Harbor with Shirley.

Dick worked at Whirlpool as a chemist and retired after 20 years there. He owned his own woodworking shop, The Woodworks. Dick loved traveling and exploring new places. He and Shirley visited Russia and several countries in Europe. He delivered motorhomes across the United States and had the opportunity to visit every state, except Hawaii. Dick enjoyed camping with his family and sailing, even taking their sailboat all the way down the Mississippi River once.

Dick enjoyed target shooting and was a member of the Berrien County Sportsman's Club. He was also a member of the Paw Paw Lake Yacht Club Starfleet. Dick also made many radio-controlled model airplanes and was a member of Whirlwinds of Southwest Michigan, AMA #375.

Dick is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley; children, Tehra Qualls, Mark Matthias and Bethany (John) Teifke; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Grafton and Florence Matthias.