LISBON FALLS — Michael Alan Matthews, 63, recently of Lisbon Falls, passed away of natural causes in his home on the evening of Oct. 28.
He was born to Phyllis Rogers and Jesse Matthews in 1954, under a table on a naval base in Kittery, during a blackout caused by the devastating Hurricane Carol as it swept over the state of Maine. Shortly after he passed, Maine was overcome by a similar storm that felled trees all over the state, flooding the streets and wiping out power to hundreds of thousands of Mainers.
He was the middle of three and is survived by sisters, Linda Cloutier and Susan Hayes. He is predeceased by mother and stepfather, Phyllis and Ed Erwin, of Rumford; and wife of 41 years, Crystal, whose laughter lit up his life.
Mike grew up in the Waterville area where he graduated from high school before going to stay with his Aunt Margaret in Lisbon. As a young man, he loved writing, drawing and reading (especially Tolkein and fantasy novels), and he continued his love of the fantastical and strange into adulthood. He met Crystal his first day in Lisbon. She saw him leaning on a neighbor’s porch, napping in the sunlight with his long hair, and they were married just three months later. They had their only child, Araminta Matthews, a few years later.
Bath Iron Works awarded Michael his 40-year service award in 2015, and he continued to be employed as a ship-fitter, a labor-intensive job on second shift, at BIW until his passing. He was proud of his work — especially when he appeared in the book “The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works,” by Michael Sanders. His colleagues once dubbed him Superman because he had an incredible work ethic and could maneuver in the tightest of spaces.
Everyone who knew Mike knew him to be an unshakable optimist, always looking for the sunny side of things. He loved to fish, and he was an incredible designer and carpenter, both hobbies he picked up from his childhood spent with his grandfather, Harold Rogers. He could always be found with a book in his hand while savoring a dish of the hottest, spiciest food you would have to sign a liability waiver to even taste-test.
Mike is survived by his only daughter, Araminta Matthews; son-in-law, Abner Goodwin; his only grandchild, Zelie Star Madwin; sister, Linda Cloutier; brother-in-law, Rosie Cloutier; sister, Susan Hayes; mother-in-law, Bonnie Gould; sister-in-law, Vickie Gould, and her husband, Dave Gideon; brother-in-law, David Gould; nieces, Jessica, Stephanie, Michelle, and Jennifer; nephews, Jeffrey and Shawn; great-nephew, Tyler Carter, who was with him when he passed; great-niece, Lexie; great-nephew, Logan; and his nieces’ and nephews’ partners and children.
Michael A. Matthews
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