Richard Lawrence Mathews, age 94, of Bethany Beach, DE, formerly of Arlington, VA, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, DE.

Richard was born on April 9, 1932, in Washington D.C. to Joseph A. and Mary A. (Miller) Mathews. He spent his childhood summers in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and developed a lifelong love of the Delaware coast.

Richard earned a BA at George Washington University, majoring in painting and drawing. Upon graduation, he was an art instructor at Gallaudet College for the Deaf, and then worked for the Washington Post as a production artist, before joining the federal government. He retired from the U.S. Department of Labor in 1990, ending his career as a designer/art director.

Following his retirement, Richard and his wife, Deirdre, moved to Bethany Beach, where he could finally paint and draw full time. He left thousands of paintings and drawings, including hundreds with models the family cannot identify. He was active with the Rehoboth Art League and the Bethany Beach Watercolor Society and was a founding member of Gallery One in Ocean View, DE.

Richard could often be seen with a pencil in his shirt pocket and a sketchbook in his hand. An avid sketcher and a voracious reader, he approached life with curiosity, creativity, and appreciation for the world around him. He was a jazz and classical lover, amateur gourmet cook, and devout Catholic. He was a longtime parishioner of St. Thomas More Church in Arlington, VA and St. Ann Church in Bethany Beach, DE.

Above all else, Richard cherished his large family and treasured the time he spent with each and every one of them. He delighted in every newborn, and was a hands-on father and grandfather. He played with and drew with the children, sculpted elaborate sandcastles with children, grandchildren, and even a few great grandchildren. He was a devoted husband who cared for his wife Deirdre for several years before her death.

In addition to his parents, Richard was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Deirdre M. (Komuro) Mathews, in 2019, his brother Joseph Mathews, and three sisters: Mary Schaible, Sally Hinkel, and Judy Brittingham.

Richard is survived by his eight children: Christopher Mathews (Porfi), Jonathan Mathews (Irene), Thomas Mathews (Myung), Beth Stevens (Richard), Anna Nelson (Trippy), Angela Niezgoda (Steve), Peter Mathews and Michael Mathews. He is also survived by 20 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, his sisters, Helen Delaney and Peggy Maines, and sister-in-law Dara Flanagan and her husband Bob, and many nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 from 10:00 to 11:00am at St. Ann Catholic Church, 691 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, DE 19930. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00am. Internment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Dagsboro, DE, followed by a reception at Delaney Hall, St. Ann Church from 1:00 to 3:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in Richard’s name to Special Olympics, Sussex County, by visiting www.sode.org or Food for the Poor at www.foodforthepoor.org.