Obituary of Roger Christian Matthews

Roger Christian Matthews, 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at home in Mendham, NJ with his loving wife Mary Elyn by his side.

Born in Brooklyn, NY to William and May (Aldag) Matthews, Roger was the middle son of brothers William and Craig.  He graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963.  He played for 3 seasons on the varsity lacrosse team at Rutgers and was named an All-American in his senior year.  He is one of 3 Rutger’s lacrosse players to hold the record for most points in a single season.  Roger went on to earn his M.S. in Industrial Management from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1967.

Roger began his career working for Grumman Aircraft (ultimately Northrup Grumman Corporation) where, among many projects, he worked on the cryogenic loading system for the Lunar Module which first landed on the moon in 1969.  Roger then worked for Con Edison in various finance roles.  Roger then transferred to Wall Street where he worked in municipal finance for Loeb, Rhoades & Co, which later became Shearson Lehman.  Then in 1979 Roger went to work for what was Allied Chemical at the time (later becoming Allied Signal and ultimately Honeywell Corporation) where he served in many finance roles, ultimately serving as Assistant Treasurer and then as a lead investor for Allied’s pension plan.  Roger was heavily involved with several charitable organizations, including the Newark Boys Chorus School, Tri-County Scholarship Fund and the Mendham Area Senior Housing (MASH).  Roger enjoyed playing tennis and bridge as well as travel.

Roger is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Elyn Matthews, his devoted children Roger C. Matthews, Jr. and his wife Elena Matthews, and Dr. Mary Elizabeth (Matthews) Hunt and her husband Dr. Steven Hunt, as well as four grandchildren Roger and Alexis Matthews and Taylor and Ryan Hunt.

Visitation will be held on Monday, October 14th from 4-8 pm at Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Road in Mendham, NJ.  Funeral Mass will be on Tuesday, October 15th, 10am at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 8 W Main Street, Mendham, NJ followed by interment at Mendham Hilltop Cemetery.   In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to either the Mendham Borough Public Library or the Mendham First Aid Squad.