Notice regarding Coronavirus...Read More

Plan Ahead

Matthews, Fred Bernard, Jr.

June 9, 1957 –
 December 4, 2017

Obituary

Fred Bernard Matthews, Jr., born on June 9, 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri to Fred and Shirley Matthews. He died on December 4, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. He was preceded in death by his mother, Shirley Selig Matthews. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Anne Fraser Matthews, his three sons Fred Bernard Matthews III, Jacob Fraser Matthews (Nikki), and David Bertram Matthews, his father, Fred Bernard Matthews, Sr. (Beverly), his sister Susan Matthews Paynter and his two bothers, Steven (Rory), and Paul (Susan).

Although born in St. Louis, Fred grew up on Long Island, New York. As the oldest of four siblings, he served as the, “adult supervision” for his brothers and sister. He enjoyed watching his sister sail her sunfish and loved to dive for clams and work on old cars with his two brothers. Fred’s love for the salt water and open ocean has always been apparent. He truly enjoyed the camaraderie of fishing with his family and has passed that love onto his three sons.  Fred loved helping other people and as an Eagle Scout himself, he passionately contributed his time to the Boy Scouts of America Circle 10 Council and Troop 570, where his eldest son, Fred became an Eagle Scout as well. Fred and Anne met in St. Louis, Missouri in 1979 through friends and were married in 1983. They started their family in Richardson, Texas before moving to Parker, Texas in 1992 where they built their dream house on the hill. Fred attended The University of New York Stoneybrook, earning degrees in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and his MBA from The University of Dallas. He retired in 2015 after an incredible 36-year career with Raytheon, directing the Special Capabilities Sensors and Surveillance and Targeting Systems groups, within the Space and Airborne Systems division. Fred took great pride in his work, knowing that it helped our military men and women safely execute their missions. Fred was an avid collector of anything old and mechanical. He had a soft spot for antique bottles, but was especially intrigued by hit-and-miss engines. He particularly enjoyed learning about and restoring these archaic machines over the past few years. Although an avid collector of antiques, he was perhaps even more so passionate about his barbeque. It is safe to say we are all BBQ snobs because of the amazing things he could do with his grill and smoker. Even in his darkest hour, the doctors and nurses were amazed by Fred’s congenial personality, calm demeanor, and unwavering faith. He told them that he lived a full life, had a rewarding career, enjoyed playing in retirement, was so proud of his sons, and knew he was headed to Heaven to be with Jesus. Fred was a warm, kind, humble and jolly man who always knew how to find the silver lining in tough situations. He will be dearly, dearly missed by his family and all who knew and loved him. Please donate to Boy Scouts of America Circle 10 Council or perform an act of grace in lieu of sending flowers. 

Fred’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday December 9th, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Carrollton. 

Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700

    Steve Garry
    7 Dec 2017
    11:54am

    Only good memories of Fred. So sad to hear of his death at such a young age.

    I worked with Fred at TI from the Forest Lane days through the Raytheon days in McKinney until my retirement in 2013. Fred was easy to like – ever present smile, always had a kind word or two to share, smart but never shied away from getting advice from us “Contracts guys”. Definitely one of the “good guys”.

    I will keep the Matthews family in my prayers.

    Scott & Sandy Ericksen
    7 Dec 2017
    1:48pm

    Matthews Family, we are grieving with you in your earthly loss of Fred, but we rejoice with you in knowing we’ll all see Fred again someday in Heaven. Fred will be sorely missed in our 8am service.

    Richard Knagg
    9 Dec 2017
    2:48pm

    Fred was a great manager and technologist. His first love was always his family, with scouting and fishing not far behind. He contributed much to the EO/IR products and always knew who his ultimate customer was . He also remembered the Eagle Scout pledge, which we both had the honor of taking, “ to give back to scouting more than scouting has given you”. Fair winds and calm seas good friend, see you on the other side . Thanks to the family for sharing Fred with so many of us.

Leave A Condolence

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Testimonials

R. Driver
Read More
"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
Read More
"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
Read More
"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
Read More
"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
Read More
"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
Read More
"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
Read More
"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
Read More
"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
Previous
Next

Get In Touch

Locations

Immediate Attention

Contact Us

Preston Road

“George Bush at Preston”

Aria - Northwest Highway

“5 Miles East of Hillcrest Memorial Park / Lake Highlands”

Funeral Homes Irving Tx: Aria Cremation

“Belt Line Road at 183”

Fannin Memorial Gardens

Veterans Funeral Services

Darst Funeral Home

Search Obituaries

Search

Important Information

  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

  2. Click here to Download the Cremation Forms.
  3. Have the cremation authorization form notarized
  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
    • Preston Rd.
      972-526-7410
    • Belt Line Rd.
      972-573-1008
 

Additional Information