Reginald was born to Alfredo and Georgette de Matteis on June 18, 1932 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He had four siblings Josianne, Patrice, Michael and Marie Berengere. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Patrice.
He received his undergraduate degree at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and a Master of Arts from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He returned to Haiti to work in the family business, M & S Construction. In Haiti he served as the Consul General for Finland, as well as the Vice Dean of the Consular Corps. An avid musician and cello player, Reginald was a supporter of, and played with, the St. Trinite Orchestra in Haiti and was a board member with the Philharmonic Association in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Following his retirement, he dedicated his life to being a teacher and mentor to young people. Reginald taught French and French Literature at North Carolina State University and at Cardinal Gibbons High School. He was a pioneer and an advocate for the development of women’s and girls soccer around the world. He was involved with the “Tigresse” Women’s soccer team in Haiti, and later in his life, he was a highly successful high school soccer coach in North Carolina. He was the Head Coach of the Varsity Girls soccer team at Cardinal Gibbons High School where he led the team to a State Championship. Subsequently, he was the Head Coach of the Varsity Girls soccer team at Ravenscroft School where he also won a State Championship. He was named the State Coach of the Year by the N.C.S.S.C.A. in 1988, 1989 and 1993. In 2010, Reginald founded International Ballet Academy in Cary and also served as its President and Chairman of the Board.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Carole Madsen. They met at the age of 13 and upon seeing her Reginald announced that he would one day marry her. Reginald and Carole were married for 54 years and were blessed with four children, Florence, Christina, Reginald II and Jean Marc. He loved his 11 grandchildren Stefanie, Jennifer, Gary, Nicole, Christopher, Alexander, Reginald III, Shane, Annalise, Sébastien and Isabelle and his 3 great grandchildren Tucker, Adelaide and Madsen.
Reginald will be remembered for his charm, his wit, his generosity and most of all for his complete devotion to his family.
Funeral Mass for Reginald de Matteis will take place on Friday, May 7th at 10:30am at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary. Masks and social distancing are required.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his loving memory to Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti at www.hashaiti.org.
Arrangements with Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Cary, NC,
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