David Paul Mathews of College Park, MD, passed away peacefully on July 1, 2021, in the presence of his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. He was born at Walter Reed Hospital on October 1, 1942. His childhood years were spent in varied locations, from Ohio and Alabama to Japan, as he moved with his family while his father served in the Air Force. He attended the University of Pennsylvania. After working in computer programming, he looked for a less stressful job, and became a letter-carrier, working literally through rain and snow and dark of night on many occasions. His retirement job was as a volunteer at Lake Artemisia in College Park, clearing out invasive vegetation.
Dave will be remembered by friends and family as a quiet, gentle person who always respected others and who went out of his way to help other people. His love of exercise and being outdoors took him caving in West Virginia and hiking in the mountains in the U.S. and Canada. A favorite hike was Old Rag Mountain in Virginia.
Although Dave and his wife, Harriet, married in 2001, they had been together since 1975. They shared a love of nature, hiking and walking, and travelling. Memorable vacations included a two-month trip to California, camping in many parks along the way; visits to Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia; visits with family and parks in Canada; and the favorite resorts, Lake Pearl Resort in Orlando and Skyland at Shenandoah National Park. They had several beloved cats: Rio, Blackster, Elektra, McGIll, and Suki.
Dave’s family meant everything to him. He is survived by his wife; stepson Alexander McNamee, daughter-in-law Elena Bogatyreva, and grandson Maximillian McNamee (Lutherville, MD); brothers Roger Mathews (and Jean Fuller, Woodside, CA) and Robert Mathews (Managua); and nephews Steve (Tokyo), Tibeau (Montreal), and Albert (Montreal) Mathews and their families. A celebration of his life will be planned for the fall.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Capital Area Food Bank https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/
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