- Date Of Birth: November 7, 1948
- Date Of Death: November 2, 2019
- State: Texas
Ralph Wayne Matthews, 70, of Belton passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at his home near Belton.
Dr. Matthews was born on November 7, 1948 in Whitmire, Newberry County, South Carolina to Ralph and Vivian (Reed) Matthews. Dr. Matthews joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, during which time he was stationed in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1973, and soon enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin where he received his BS in Education. He would later receive his MEd from Duke University, his PhD from the University of Iowa, and his BSEE from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Matthews worked for many years as an educator and as an electrical engineer. He was a teacher in Lockhart, Texas and the Director of Resource Development at TSTC. He also worked as an electrical engineer at TI, in Sherman, Texas, as a software engineer for the Department of Defense, as the director of the Hill Navarro Electronic Consortium, and was owner/operator of Three Forks Farm near Belton. He married Sandra Kay Oliver in Bell County on December 28, 1977.Wayne volunteered for many different local organizations including Sunday School Teacher for over 50years at the First United Methodist Church, District Lay Leader, church administrative board chair in South Carolina and Temple, in several capacities with the BSA Troop 156 in Belton, and as an adult leader at Tiger town 4H.
He enjoyed genealogy and belonged to many historical societies. Dr. Matthews was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Charlene Matthews. He is survived by his wife Dr. Sandra Kay Oliver of Belton; daughter Dr. Miriam Elizabeth Oliver Matthews and her husband Maj. Brian Pascuzzi of Williamsburg, Va.; son Capt. (Ret.) Joseph Lenear Oliver Matthews of Dallas; grandchildren William, Micah, and Bethany Matthews and James Pascuzzi; and brother Melvin Matthews of South Carolina.
