Eric Hawks

John Mathews was really one of the best human beings that I have known!  John was special, a good friend to many, and as stated, John always had a big smile and a ready hug for everyone he knew.  John and I became friends at Shroder Junior high, and grew up in Kennedy Heights together.  Over the years I was lucky to spend time with John and his bride Linda.  As John's Alzheimer's progressed a group of John's Buds would take him out to dinner, Cincinnati Roller Derby, a movie or just to give Linda a break.  My last memory of John was at his birthday party this summer, where John was in a great mood and very happy that evening.  John was a life long educator, who impacted many student lives over the thirty years at Wyoming HS.  John will be missed by one and all, and I'm pleased that John is at rest in a better place.  It was a pleasure, privilege and an honor to have known and loved John Mathews!  Rest well my friend, you deserve it! 

Karen Thielmeyer (Bellman)

John's passing is such a loss. He was such a very friendly guy with a beautiful smile. Rest in peace, John. You will be missed.

Susan Sammons (Holley)

RIP John. Smile down on us from heaven!

Mark Torreano '64

I grew up with John in Kennedy Heights and we became close friends as Boy Scouts in Troop 783 at the Kennedy Heights Presbyterian Church.  Our troop was a bit on the wild side and we had great times on campouts, sometimes “terrorizing" (in a GOOD way, of course!) other troops.  Our best adventure was attending the 1960 50th Anniversary Boy Scout National Jamboree in Colorado Springs.  We rode a train out with all TriState area scouts (woe to he who slept with his mouth open-more Tobasco sauce, please!) and we shared a tent for the next 7 days.  We met scouts from all over the US and around the world, took ice cold showers and cheered President Eisenhower's tour through the area in his Cadillac convertible.  But our greatest achievement was to become major players in the uniform patch trading business, starting with very little but scrounging patches dropped on the floor and being hardball traders.  We returned to Cincy tanned, smarter and wiser, moving through adolescence and into adulthood the better for experiencing this most excellent adventure.  John’s openness, good humor and strong friendship enriched my life and made me a better person. The scout motto is “Be Prepared” and John’s whole life certainly prepared him for his final journey home.   (Mark Torreano, ’64)

Charlotte Patton

There was never a sweeter man than John Mathews.  I have fond memories of his smile and warm personality in the halls of Woodward.  What stands out in my mind most of all, was seeing him at several events at the 40th Reunion and his telling me that his memory wasn't so good anymore and he said it slightly apologetically with his warm smile and I saw no trace of his disease, just his sweet spirit.  His light shone brightly on this earth and I will never forget him.  Rest in peace, John.

Paul Hendrick

It was so hard to discover John had died almost indirectly, reading a couple of tributes that seemed to be memorials before I'd scrolled down enough to learn that his struggle was over.  No one could have had a better friend that Ron Dreffer -- Marcia and I remember when Ron brought John to an art opening at the Kennedy Heights Center.  As John asked every few minutes if there was anything upstairs, it took me awhile to realize what was going on.  Maybe it's a metaphor that John has now learned what is "upstairs", a place of love, of natural beauty, of peace.  I have one very special memory of John from the summer of 64.  Marcia and I spent a month in Bennington, Vt. where I had a John Hay Fellowship in the Humanities - a month of varied classes for the joy of learning and potential benefit for the students we taught.  No papers, no tests.  Wonderful participants from all over the country and great professors, most from Williams College, but one from Rutgers, Henry Winkler somehow related to Paul Kaplan's family and later to become president of UC.  Rick Chapman and Deke decided to come up and meet us at the end of our program, but Deke was unable to come so  John jumped in for an adventure that began at the Syracuse Airport where Marcia headed home and Rick and John and I had a quick visit to Colgate to see the campus and meet with admissions people, then to Cooperstown to stay in an old hotel and press our noses up against the glass at the Hall of Fame Museum, on to Williamstown to talk to admissions people there and then across Mass. to Beverly, Mass to stay with someone I had taught with at Lynnfield for two plus years.  She lived a block from the ocean - great place to visit during a hurricane btw.  Before coming home the next day to her lobster dinner, Rick, John and I spent the day at Crane's Beach (John Updike's old neighborhood), basking in the August sun (the era of baby oil and iodine!), making a rather erotic mermaid sand sculpture, etc.  John - ever the naturalist - collected several shells, etc. and we stowed them in the back of my vw convertible;  the heat was stuck at on but it was summer and we could put the top down as we headed to Niagara Falls and spent the night with my parents.  Our last day was back to Cincinnati, letting John out at some Lake north of here - can't remember the name.  But the longer we drove the more we began to smell something really rotten.  It turned out that John's collection was cooking on the floor of the backseat in the VW.  It was wonderful to share those days with the guy whom all of you are remembering for his kindness  and his gentle decency.  I'll miss him and look forward to  someday joining him "upstairs."  Marcia and I will be there Saturday.  Take care of each other.  Paul

Ray Spencer

Strange what we remember fifty-five years later. I sat alongside John during ninth grade choir. Most of the time, I didn't know when to sing or not. Often, I got a nudge from John when I was not to be singing. It must have been at the twenty year reunion and a family picnic in French Park. At that time, I'd only been living in Seattle a few years. I think it was John that told me he went to school out here and would have stayed in Washingon state had it not been for family and friends in Ohio. He was a very kind friend. RIP

Arnold Hanish

I remember  John  well from  our  days  at  Schroeder. John was  always  willing to step in  and  asssit others  to  accomplish  a  task.. RIP.

Arnie

John Kimpel

John and I grew up in the same neighborhood in Kennedy Heights so it seems like I knew him forever.  We walked together to Shroder every day and later drove together to Woodward.  John was one of the nicest guys I've ever known.  We did a lot of stuff together in high school---football, Hi-Y, COS, etc.  Behind that angelic smile was a bit of mischief,  which made him so much fun to hang around with.  I miss him.

Ken Ellison