Donald J. Matthews, a remarkable man of integrity, generosity, and unwavering faith, died peacefully on June 5th, at the age of 89, in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Don was born in 1933, the son of Captain John N. Matthews and Dorothy Webb Matthews, and brother to John, Robert, Richard, Jane, and Lucille. He grew up on Centre Island, Oyster Bay, NY where he developed his passion for sailing at Seawanhaka Yacht Club.
He graduated from Georgetown Prep in 1951 and the University of Notre Dame in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in business where he also captained the sailing team. In 1956, Don married Cynthia Hackney and together they raised four children in Rye, NY.
Don was an accomplished sailor who co-skippered two America’s Cup yachts – Vim, the family-owned 12 Metre, which narrowly lost out in races to select the New York Yacht Club’s defender in 1958, and Weatherly, which won the America’s Cup in 1962. He was one of the longest standing members of the New York Yacht Club having joined in 1956…
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