Obituary of Gardner Lee Matthews

Gardner Lee Matthews 1945 - 2020 "Matt" was born as Gardner Lee Matthews on November 18th 1945 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He was raised in Temperanceville, Virginia, by his grandparents, Kenny and Hattie Matthews and was the son of Leroy and Eloise Matthews. Matt graduated from Mary N. Smith High School in Accomac, Virginia, and furthered his education at Maryland State College where he became a very popular baseball player. From there he was recruited by the Kansas City Athletics as a pitcher, however his career was cut short when he was drafted into the United States Army. He became a Drill Sergeant. and after proudly serving his country in Vietnam, he returned to the USA. Matt never gave up that Drill Sergeant demeanor. Matt was married twice, first to Monica Hayes, and then to the love of his life, Helena Mendoza-Matthews. Matt fathered 4 children: Tony, Colette , Gardner, and Mark. He was also the father to 3 stepchildren: Michelle, David, and Sheon. Matt was known as "Grandfather" to more children than there is space to write here. Matt was loved by many and will be missed by even more. Matt passed away at 7:15 PM on February 10, 2020. Visitation at the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Wednesday, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, with a service to follow, in the funeral home, at 12:00 pm. Committal Service and interment is scheduled take place in Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, Long Island, NY, on Thursday at 12:00 pm.