| John Lee Matthews |
| HOME PAGE |
John L. Matthews, home builder
Published: January 23, The Washington Post
John L. Matthews, 91, a Washington area builder who specialized in
contemporary-style houses, died Dec. 22 at his home in Bethesda of
atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease.
The death was confirmed by his wife, Barbara Matthews.
Mr. Matthews developed houses in Montgomery County’s Potomac
Overlook, Mohican Hills and Carderock neighborhoods. The buildings often
accentuated big windows for ample light and were designed to conform with
the landscape, his family said. He retired about a decade ago.
Mr. Matthews was a member of the Sycamore Island Club, a private
club for canoeists based on an island in the Potomac River near Glen Echo.
The island is accessible by a pedestrian ferry that Mr. Matthews designed.
As captain of the club for many years, he helped preserve the property and
build needed structures.
John Lee Matthews was born in Akron, Ohio, and raised mostly in
Washington. He graduated from Western High School and attended
Catholic University. During World War II, he served in the Army in Italy,
and his decorations included the Bronze Star Medal.
His first wife, the former Mary Jean O’Leary, whom he married in
1948, died in 1987.
Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Barbara Cannon Matthews of
Bethesda; five children from his first marriage, Mary Ann Millett of
Brookmont, Md., John E. Matthews of Boyds, and Robert Matthews,
Susan Freeburn and Peggy Estabrook, all of Kensington; a sister; a brother;
11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
— Adam Bernstein
Published: January 23, The Washington Post
John L. Matthews, 91, a Washington area builder who specialized in
contemporary-style houses, died Dec. 22 at his home in Bethesda of
atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease.
The death was confirmed by his wife, Barbara Matthews.
Mr. Matthews developed houses in Montgomery County’s Potomac
Overlook, Mohican Hills and Carderock neighborhoods. The buildings often
accentuated big windows for ample light and were designed to conform with
the landscape, his family said. He retired about a decade ago.
Mr. Matthews was a member of the Sycamore Island Club, a private
club for canoeists based on an island in the Potomac River near Glen Echo.
The island is accessible by a pedestrian ferry that Mr. Matthews designed.
As captain of the club for many years, he helped preserve the property and
build needed structures.
John Lee Matthews was born in Akron, Ohio, and raised mostly in
Washington. He graduated from Western High School and attended
Catholic University. During World War II, he served in the Army in Italy,
and his decorations included the Bronze Star Medal.
His first wife, the former Mary Jean O’Leary, whom he married in
1948, died in 1987.
Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Barbara Cannon Matthews of
Bethesda; five children from his first marriage, Mary Ann Millett of
Brookmont, Md., John E. Matthews of Boyds, and Robert Matthews,
Susan Freeburn and Peggy Estabrook, all of Kensington; a sister; a brother;
11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
— Adam Bernstein