Nicholas John Matthews

Nicholas John Matthews was born on December 1, 1925, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was the middle son of immigrant parents, John and Rose. Nick was predeceased by his parents, as well as his older brother Anthony (Tony), and his younger brother Byron, as well as many cousins.

Nicholas J Matthews was the beloved husband of the late Olga K Matthews; Loving Father of Joanna Matthews (Janet Howard), John (Kay Matthews), Jim (Karen Matthews), and Angela (Glenn Hagan); Adored and cherished Grandfather of Nicholas, Olga (Pete Soukas), and Emily (Nick Tzoumas); Daniela and Laura; Socrates and Alexandra. Cherished and loved great-grandfather of Spiro, Kiriaki, John, and Andreas.

The family struggled through the Great Depression. While Nick was still in grade school, he delivered

newspapers and ran a newspaper stand. Soon after his 18th Birthday, Nick enlisted in the Army Air Corps

and served most of his 4-year tour during World War II in the Philippines. His unit was tasked with

calculating “Bomb Blast” estimates for what he later found out to be calculations for damage that

occurred when the first Atomic Bomb was dropped on Japan. While serving, he became ill and wound up

in the ship’s infirmary. He was visited by the infamous Irving Berlin, who sat on Nick’s bed and sang “Oh

how I hate to get up in the morning”. It was one of the most memorable moments during Nick’s military

service.

When he returned to Massachusetts, Nick was accepted at Boston University, where he earned a

bachelor’s degree in communications. He met the love of his life, Olga in 1951, and moved to Washington

to begin his career (although it was really to be near her). They married in 1952. Joanna was born in 1954, and they moved to Massachusetts shortly after. John was born in 1956, and Jim in 1959. The family moved to Silver Spring on the day John F Kennedy was inaugurated, January 1961. Angela was born in 1965.

Nick was a walking thesaurus and a stickler for grammar. The four children knew never to say “over”

when the correct word was “above,” or “myself” for “me.” He was the “editor on call” for his children

and grandchildren, always willing to lend a hand with the right words to use and answering grammatical

questions.

Nick was quite a storyteller. One story he told many times was when he was nine years old and skipped

school with his older brother Tony, and his cousin Tim. They went down to the Merrimack River, where

Nick fell in. Nick, who at the time did not know how to swim, was very fortunate that his friends who

were on the dock that day dove in and saved him. Whenever the family traveled to Newburyport, Nick

would point out the spot where this took place.

Always a proud New Englander, Nick was an avid Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics fan. The only time he

raised his voice was when one of his teams was playing. In addition to his love of New England sports,

Nick enjoyed attending, and sometimes coaching, his children’s and grandchildren’s soccer, basketball,

baseball, and softball games, always giving positive feedback to the young athletes.

Nick and Olga were truly devoted to their church, Saints Constantine and Helen of Washington, DC. They

were proud contributors to the church, which is now located here in Silver Spring, MD.

To know Nick was to love him. He was generous and kind. Whether you met Nick for only a couple

minutes, a couple of years, or for a lifetime, you knew you were a member of the family. Nick and Olga

celebrated 70 years of marriage in June 2022. Their family was truly blessed to have them for as long as

they did, and they will remain in their hearts forever.

A visitation for Nicholas will be held Wednesday, December 18, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM followed by funeral mass at 11:00 AM at St. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 721 Norwood Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20905. Committal and burial will occur Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, 3401 Bladensburg Rd, Brentwood, MD 20722.