Rick was born on May 8, 1942, to Charles Edgar and Mary Janette Riley Matthews in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He was the second of five children. He always had a quiet, gentle spirit, and he was always ready to lend a helping hand throughout his life. Starting full-time work in his teens, he began his career with the Texas Department of Transportation in 1965 as a “sign man,” where he worked for 30 years.
In 1962, Rick married Evyone Sargent at Oak Grove Church of Christ and settled in the Harts Bluff community. Rick and Evyone went on to have three children, Donald Vannoy (Van), Kevin Ray, and John Mark. A committed husband and father, Rick was involved in a variety of activities centered around his boys. He coached baseball, helped with 4-H and Boy Scout projects and camping trips, and was an active member and deacon at the Oak Grove Church of Christ. Rick and Evyone were married 39 years until her passing in 2001.
In 2003, he married Linda Sandlin. They were active at the North Ridge Church of Christ and enjoyed traveling around the country together.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Mary Janette; wives, Evyone and Linda; brother, Rex Matthews; daughter-in-law, Kim Matthews; and granddaughter, Morgan Matthews.
He is survived by his son, Van, and his wife, Carla, and their children, Evy Ronquillo (Erick) and Coley Matthews; son, Kevin, and his daughter, Kate; son, John, and his wife, Elaine; and sisters Judy Smith (Donny), Jeanie Willmon (Roy), and Janice Lancaster (Terry), and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation with the family will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday, May 30, 2022 at the Bates-Cooper-Sloan Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be held at the North Ridge Church of Christ, Mt. Pleasant, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. with interment to follow at Nevill’s Chapel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Evyone Matthews Nursing Scholarship at Northeast Texas Community College.