Robert D. Matthews Jr. of Boston, Vice Chairman of Commercial Banking and a member of the Citizens Finan- cial Group board of directors, died unexpectedly on Decem- ber 19. He was 51. Mr. Mat- thews was devoted to Citizens’ success and instrumental in leading the Commercial Bank- ing division into new markets, new specialties and, in Sep- tember 2014, a new era as a publicly traded company. He firmly believed in the Citizens’ credo that pledged dedication to one’s colleagues, clients, and community and found the in- teractions with the people he worked with and with his cus- tomers to be one of the most important aspects of his career. “Our entire Citizens Financial Group family of colleagues mourns this tragic loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with Catherine, Robert’s wife, and his family,” said Citizens Financial Group Chairman and CEO Bruce Van Saun. Mr. Mat- thews joined Citizens in 2007 from Citigroup, where he had been Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Commercial and Middle Market Banking. Previously, he worked inter- nationally, holding a number of senior leadership positions in Asia and Latin America. Ev- erything that Mr. Matthews did in his personal and profes- sional life was inspired by his extraordinary intellectual curi- osity and enthusiasm for life. He lived his life with the pur- poseful intention to give back to his community and, above all, to always choose kindness when determining his actions. A lover of music and the arts, Mr. Matthews was the driving force behind the creation of Boston’s first free summer per- forming-arts festival, Boston Summer Arts Week, presented in collaboration with the Bos- ton Globe and WGBH. Over the past three years, nearly 90,000 visitors experienced the best of the arts on historic Copley Plaza thanks to his leadership. As a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s board of overseers, Mr. Matthews was a major supporter of the BSO’s work. This year, he co-chaired the BSO’s annual summer fund- raiser, Presidents at Pops, which raised more than $850,000 to support the orchestra’s educa- tion and community engage- ment programs. Mr. Matthews loved American history and considered civic engagement to be an honor. He served as vice chairman of the boards of directors of the Paul Revere Memorial Association and the National Constitution Center, and was a supporter of the Bostonian Society. He was on the board of directors of Jobs for Massachusetts and the Pri- vate Export Funding Corpora- tion. With his wife, Catherine, he was passionately supportive of Community Servings and its mission of feeding the critically ill in Massachusetts. His family found a spiritual home in Bos- ton’s Old North Church and en- thusiastically encouraged the Old North Foundation’s work to educate the public about its place in America’s story. Above all, he gave willingly and hap- pily of material and emotional resources to anyone in need. He loved to travel and to plan trips for his family and recent- ly visited Africa, a trip he had dreamed of since he was a little boy. More than anything, Mr. Matthews loved his family and recognized the importance of spending time with them and of creating memories that will now sustain them. He was an extraordinary man, loving hus- band and wonderful, devoted father. His sense of humor was quick, irreverent and un- quenchable. He delighted in conversation with people from all walks of life. Mr. Matthews was born in West Virginia, raised in Western Pennsylvania and cherished the values and ethic of hard work, discipline and hope that family instilled in him. Mr. Matthews received his bachelor’s degree in eco- nomics from Harvard Univer- sity, with an emphasis on la- bor relations and bargaining behavior. He is survived by his wife, Catherine, and their two daughters, Nicole and Camp- bell. He is also survived by his mother, Karen Anderson, his brother, Steven Matthews, and his family, brother John Mat- thews and John’s wife, Diana, and their family, his mother-in- law, Catherine Contey, brother- in-law John Contey, sister- and brother-in-law Alexandra and Greg Schutz and nephew Cole LaBruzzo. He is also survived by his friends and colleagues, too numerous to mention, who share his openhearted nature and love of laughter. A wake will be held on Sunday, Decem- ber 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Boston Harborside Home of J.S. Waterman & Sons-War- ing-Langone, 580 Commercial Street, Boston. Funeral services will be on Monday at 10 a.m. at Old North Church, 193 Salem Street, Boston. Parking for Old North Church is available at the Government Center Parking Garage located at 50 New Sudbury Street and Fitz Inn-Auto Park located at the corner of Commercial Street and Hull Street. In lieu of flow- ers, his family requests dona- tions be made in his honor to the following organizations: Community Servings, 18 Mar- bury Terrace, Jamaica Plain, MA; the Boston Symphony Or- chestra, 301 Massachusetts Av- enue, Boston, MA; Paul Revere Memorial Association, 19 North Square, Boston, MA; or the Old North Foundation, 193 Salem Street, Boston, MA.
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