Darvon E. Matthews
October 14, 1918 ~ September 9, 2004
Resided in:
Pueblo, CO
Darvon E. 'Matt' Matthews, 85, passed away Sept. 9, 2004. Preceded in death by his wife, Josephine M. Matthews in 1990; and brother, Elmo E. Matthews. Survived by his children, D. Eugene (Ann) Matthews of Salt Lake City, Utah and Carol L. (Ralph Kuhl) Hamilton of Boulder, Colo.; grandchildren, Dan Matthews, Deanna (Neal) Fossler and Sarah Matthews; great-grandchildren, Laci and Nate Fossler; two nieces; and a nephew. Matt was born to Ernest W. and Blonde Z. Matthews on Oct. 14, 1918, in Otis, Colo. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. Matt was an owner and a pharmacist at Prairie Drug. Member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder for many years. Past Worshipful Master of Pueblo Lodge No. 17, A.F.&A.M., past president of the Shrine Club - Foot Patrol, past Watchman of the Shepherd White Shrine of Jerusalem, past Patron of Fidelity Chapter No. 144, O.E.S., member of Al Kaly Shrine and Southern Colorado Consistory. As per his request, there will be no viewing. Masonic Rites and interment 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, 2004, at Roselawn Cemetery with a memorial service to follow at 3 p.m. in the Montgomery & Steward Chapel with the Reverend Sid Skirven officiating. Those who desire may make memorials to Burn Unit at Shriner Crippled Children's Hospital, in care of Montgomery & Steward Funeral Directors, 1317 N. Main St., Pueblo, CO 81003. Online condolences, www.montgomerysteward.com
sorry to hear of Mr. Matthews passing . he was always kind and took time to listen to me when I was an young child shopping in his drug store. and willing to let me sign for idems on credit at age 5(With my Parents prior permission of course). You don’t find that today. He will be missed very much.My thoughts are with you.
To the family,
I am one of many who as a young student had a part-time job at Prairie Drug, while I attended South High School and later the community college (SCSC).
Of course we 16-year-olds always called him “Mr. Matthews.” Calling him “Matt” would have been unthinkable.
He could seem a little severe when he peered over his spectacles and frowned in answer to a question. And his patience wore thin when some teenager jokester called for the umpteenth time to ask if we had Dr. Pepper in the cooler–(If the answer was “yes,” of course, the caller would get a big kick out of telling us we should let the Dr. out of the cooler immediately…)
But at heart, Mr. Matthews took good care of his young employees. He let us borrow magazines from the magazine rack overnight, as long as we treated them carefully and returned them the next day. (This was a big perk to a teenage girl making 30 cents an hour in 1968!)
And he would wink as he occasionally bounded down from his perch in the pharmacy area, to grab a handful of warm cashews or peanuts from the carousel in the nut machine next to the cash register.
Your parents always seemed so cordial to one another. Like clockwork, your mother would appear at dinnertime with a hot meal. They would set up the card table–complete with tablecloth–in the back of the store, and eat in style, talking quietly. Occasionally we would hear one of your Dad’s guffaws. It was nice to see them having a good time and taking care of one another.
He took care of his customers, too. I remember big metal bins full of ledgers. We would write everything down in longhand when the neighbors came in to charge their purchases–from deoderant, to Pepto-Bismol, to an occasional matching set of rhinestone jewelry or another gift item from the glass display case off to the side of the pharmacy counter.
Years after I had moved away from Pueblo, I would visit my mother there, and occasionally stop in to say hello to Mr. Matthews at Prairie Drug. He always gave me a warm welcome.
People like Mr. Matthews are the glue in our hometowns. They add meaning to the relationships we build in those communities.
Matt was a decent, kind, honest, and hard-working man, and you had the good fortune of having him for many years. I know you’ll miss him, and hope you’ll take comfort in many happy memories.
We were deeply saddened to hear of Matt’s passing. He was a great guy and a wonderful friend to my Dad, Wes Brown. Both my Dad and I shared many a meal with him at Furr’s and Country Buffet. He will be missed greatly. We regret that we cannot attend Monday’s services but we will be there in spirit. Jerry, Beth, Aaron, and Nathan.
The Matthews Family:
I grew up wandering the isles of your dad’s drug store when young…after school and with my parents, sick or well-what great memories. Matt was our pharmacist and neighbor for many years as I remember. I know his friendship will be remembered always by my parents, Lee and Marjorie Logan. I heard them speak of of him often and fondly. His work with the local Shrine Units will be missed greatly. My thoughts are with you and your extended family.
Lynn Logan Chavez
Los Lunas, NM
Eugene and Carol-
Your Dad was a great family friend and pharmacist to our family and a terrific friend to my Dad, Wes Brown. Having just lost my Mom this past May, I know your feelings of loss at this sad time. Matt will always be fondly remembered by my Dad and my brothers and myself. He definitely touched our lives and all for the better!
With heartfelt sympathy,
Bev and Larry Catalano & Boys