Ralph Wayne Matthews

Ralph Wayne Matthews, 70, of Belton passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at his home near
Belton.
Funeral services with Military Honors for Dr. Matthews will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at
10 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Temple, with Rev. Tom Robbins and Rev. Don Johnson
officiating. Dr. Matthews’ cremated remains will later be interred at the Oliver Family Cemetery near
Belton, Texas.
Dr. Matthews was born on November 7, 1948 in Whitmire, Newberry County, South Carolina to Ralph
and Vivian (Reed) Matthews. Dr. Matthews joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, during which time he
was stationed in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1973, and soon enrolled at the University of
Texas at Austin where he received his BS in Education. He would later receive his MEd from Duke
University, his PhD from the University of Iowa, and his BSEE from the University of South Carolina. Dr.
Matthews worked for many years as an educator and as an electrical engineer. He was a teacher in
Lockhart, Texas and the Director of Resource Development at TSTC. He also worked as an electrical
engineer at TI, in Sherman, Texas, as a software engineer for the Department of Defense, as the director
of the Hill Navarro Electronic Consortium, and was owner/operator of Three Forks Farm near Belton. He
married Sandra Kay Oliver in Bell County on December 28, 1977.
Wayne volunteered for many different local organizations including Sunday School Teacher for over 50
years at the First United Methodist Church, District Lay Leader, church administrative board chair in
South Carolina and Temple, in several capacities with the BSA Troop 156 in Belton, and as an adult
leader at Tigertown 4H. He enjoyed genealogy and belonged to many historical societies.
Dr. Matthews was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Charlene Matthews. He is survived by
his wife Dr. Sandra Kay Oliver of Belton; daughter Dr. Miriam Elizabeth Oliver Matthews and her
husband Maj. Brian Pascuzzi of Williamsburg, Va.; son Capt. (Ret.) Joseph Lenear Oliver Matthews of
Dallas; grandchildren William, Micah, and Bethany Matthews and James Pascuzzi; and brother Melvin
Matthews of South Carolina.
A visitation will be held on Friday from 5-7 PM at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton.
Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church Temple 102 No. 2nd St. Temple
Tx. 76501 or to Mary Allen Oliver Cemetery Association, 6200 W. FM 436 Belton,Tx. 76513