Charles R. Mathews

MATHEWS, Charles Robert (Charlie) March 20, 1925 - Feb. 16, 2015 Charles (Charlie) Robert Mathews, born March 20th, 1925 died peacefully at home in his sleep February 16, 2015, he was 89 years old. He led a principled life based on honesty, decency, compassion, and good natured humor. He expressed quiet admiration for the accomplishments of those he held close to him. Born in Yreka, CA, Charlie grew up during the depression and understood the value of honest work, perseverance and integrity. Moving up and down the central valley with his family and after graduating high school in Fresno, he joined the Navy V-12 program at Northwestern University and was commission in 1945. His Navy service included setting up the Bikini Nuclear tests and decommissioning LST 613. After the war, he returned to complete his degree in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The pull for adventure soon took him to Morocco to build infrastructure projects for the recovering war ravaged North Africa and there he met his bride Eleanor (Ellie) Reed, a CA native herself and a public health nurse working with nomadic tribes; they returned home to the Bay Area with a growing family in 1957. Charlie again took his family overseas as a diplomat with the US State Department, where he served for 30 distinguished years. His career with the U.S. Agency of International Development would take them around the world to La Paz (Bolivia), Ankara (Turkey), Santiago (Chile), and Kingston (Jamaica), with intervening stints in Washington, DC. He helped build the Pan American Highway in Bolivia, built bridges in the jungles of the Amazon and water storage facilities on the Altiplano. He solved complex engineering issues on the Kaban Dam project in Turkey, the largest earth fill dam in the world and delivered power to hurricane Gilbert-ravaged Jamaica. He rose to be appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Senior Executive Foreign Service. Charlie was community-minded, being elected to the Marin Sanitary District Board of Directors and the American Cooperative School Board in La Paz, Bolivia, where he served as president. He was a life-long Knights of Columbus member as well as a member of the fraternal organizations of E. Clampus Vitus, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Charlie loved to ski, was an avid golfer, an artist, and a music lover, particularly the banjo and barbershop genre. He took his family on many adventures including hiking Inca trails in Machu Pichu and Bolivia, the path of Saint Paul in Ephesus, and countless trails "with a view". He was strong and constant in his Catholic faith and most recently a member of the parishes of St. Patrick's in Grass Valley and Divine Mercy in Sacramento. Charlie was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ellie, and leaves behind his five children, Kathye, Chris, Brian (Haley), Barbara (Matt), and Charlie and eleven grandchildren, Blake, Laura, Megan, Irene, William, Elaine, Charlie, Ben, John, Maddie, and Ellie. He is also survived by brothers Ted (Sally) and Jim (Janet), as well as many nieces and nephews. He was a loving husband, caring father, and wonderful grandfather. He will be dearly missed. Family and friends are welcome at W.F. Gormley & Sons (2015 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA, 95811) for visitation and rosary on Thursday, February 26, at 6 PM. A funeral Mass will be held at Divine Mercy Catholic Church (2231 Club Center Drive, Sacramento, CA 95835) on Friday, February 27, at 10 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dominican Sisters of Hope, 299 North Highland Avenue, Ossining, NY 10562, 914-502-0570.