John Wesley Matthews, 62, died Aug. 31, 2011, in Tulsa. His family and friends, too, numerous to mention, will celebrate Wes’ life during a memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of Norman, 555 S. University Blvd. With his death, his family and friends lost a loving and generous man whose life left a lasting impression on all who knew him. With his death, his family and friends lost a loving and generous man whose life left a lasting impression on all who knew him. Wes was born April 16, 1949, in Ardmore, the second son of Sam and Sally Matthews. In 1956, the Matthews family moved from Ardmore to Norman. Wes attended Norman schools, graduating from Norman High School in 1967. He was a member of the high school band and an accomplished trumpeter. In 1972, Wes graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in business. On Dec. 28, 1971, Wes married his high school sweetheart, Dane Dikeman. Their marriage spanned four decades. Starting in the mid-1970s, Wes and Dane made their home in Tulsa. Throughout his adult life, Wes worked as an account executive at Norman Plumbing Supply in Oklahoma City. This recital of dates and places tells us little of the man. It fails to communicate his cheerful, fun-loving personality, his great wit and humor, and his unfailing generosity to Episcopal and Presbyterian churches in Tulsa, to the Mental Health Association, to Norman Plumbing Supply and to the Tulsa Country Club. It fails to convey his love for his family and friends, his love of golf and card games, his love for his dogs and his devotion to OU football. A man of insight and sensitivity, Wes touched many lives. To know him was to love him. All who met Wes came away feeling better about their own lives. Now, with his death, those same people feel they have sustained a great loss. He was preceded in death by his father, Sam M. Matthews, and his brother, Winston Matthews. Wes is survived by his wife, Dane of Tulsa; his mother, Sally Matthews of Norman; his brother and sister-in-law, Gan and Nancy Matthews of Norman; and his niece, Judith Matthews of Norman. Wes left instructions that his body should be donated to the OU Medical Research Foundation. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to College Hill Presbyterian Church, 712 S. Columbia Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74104.

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