Our beloved husband and father was born in Elampal, Kerala, India, to
Evg. M.P. Philip and Mariamma on January 19, 1943. He was the youngest in a family of ten children. Raised in a fervent Christian home, he trusted in the Lord Jesus as his Savior at a young age. After graduating from Punalur High School, he worked as a stenographer in Mumbai.
He moved back to Kerala and studied homeopathy, which remained one of his great interests. He was a member of Kulathupuzha Brethren Assembly, a founder of the Kulathupuzha YMCA, Life Tract Society, and youth group Soldiers of Christ. He married Mary Mathew (Gracy) on January 28, 1971. The Lord blessed him with three sons,
Dr. Philip Mathew (Roy), Dilip Mathew, George Mathew, and eleven grandchildren.
In 1974, in a faith-filled journey, he immigrated to the United States. He was warmly welcomed by Fourth Memorial Church in Spokane, WA where he made many long-lasting friends. He was overjoyed when Gracy and Roy joined him in 1977.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Walla Walla University and worked as a Registered Nurse in Oregon and Washington State, caring for numerous patients for thirty years until his retirement in 2008. He served as a deacon at Central Christian Church in Portland, OR and was an active member of North Addison Baptist Church in Spokane, WA. He and Gracy moved to Olympia, WA in 2016, and then to Dallas, TX in 2018.
Our husband and father was a man of prayer and great faith, quietly setting a consistent and loving example for us through his very real and personal relationship with the Lord. He deeply loved his wife and family, and was especially grateful to the Lord for the blessing and presence of his grandchildren. Despite his physical struggles, he remained strong in the Lord and did not lose heart—fixing his eyes not on what is temporary, but on what is eternal (2 Cor 4:16-18).
Besides Gracy, his sons, and their families, he is survived by his beloved brother M.P. George, and many nephews, nieces, and other family members around the world.
We are grateful to the Lord for giving us such a loving, kind, and caring husband, father, and grandfather, and for the many memories we made together. Though we will always deeply miss his gentle touch, smiling face, and loving presence, we look forward to reuniting with him in the presence of our Lord. Thank you for honoring his life with us.
Dr. Philip and Jiny Mathew (Roshan, Asha)
Dilip and Nessy Mathew (Hannah, Joshua, Jonathan, Jason, Joanna)
George and Anita Mathew (Abigail, Anya, and Nithya)
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