Richard James Matson

Richard James Matson

June 28, 1945 – August 26, 2024

Richard James Matson, 79, of Littleton returned to his Creator in the early morning of Monday, August 26, 2024, in hospice care at Cherrelyn Healthcare Center in Littleton, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Teresa, was by his side as she had been for fifty years.

Rick was born June 28, 1945, in Denver, the second of the three sons of native Coloradans Clifford Alton Matson and Mary Jane McLaughlin Matson. He filled many roles in his life: son, brother, husband, father, daddy, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, colleague, teacher, mentor, community activist/leader, researcher.

He is survived by his loving wife, Teresa, daughters Lisa Michelle Benson (Cameron) of Santa Barbara, CA., Joy Lynn Ralph (Robert) of Arvada, Shannon Rae Ralph (Michael) of Lakewood and son David Jacob Matson (Marcie) of Fort Collins; grand-daughters Ella Grace Benson of Santa Barbara, and Evangeline Rae Buchenberger of Lakewood and grandsons Tyler Jordan (Karina) of San Diego, CA., and Josh Cole Benson of Santa Barbara; great-grand daughters Truly Nova and Kehlani River Jordan of San Diego; brother Mark Matson of Columbus, OH., and nephew Shane Allen Matson (Suzanne) and their son Liam Shane and daughter Liana Hope Matson of Evergreen.

Rick was preceded in death by his parents Clifford and Mary Jane of Englewood, his brother Gary Matson of Evergreen, aunt Sr. Margaret Jude SC of Cincinnati, OH, and his grand-parents Ephraim Matson of Fullerton, CA., Myrtell Bergeson of Englewood, and John McLaughlin and Violet Fourcade McLaughlin, of Denver.

Richard attended Mullen High School but graduated from Englewood High. He voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served his country in the Vietnam war, including Saigon. Upon return, he took up residence in Southern California where he took advantage of the GI Bill to secure a BS in Physics and BA in Philosophy from UCSD. He returned to Colorado to continue his graduate studies in philosophy at CU Boulder.

He served as a research physicist for 35 years. His professional life took shape as a “storm chaser” studying hail patterns at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. He invested his considerable smarts over three decades to the noble missions of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, as a Senior Scientist, contributing to the development of solar cell (photovoltaic) technology. He authored or co-authored 190 scientific publications and presented many in forums to colleagues in places such as New York, London, and Tel Aviv.

At the same time, he pursued his love of Philosophy. His family knew where to find him in the late evenings – in his home study reading the works of accomplished scientists and philosophers – seeking to further grasp the underlying “Truth” of both the cosmos and humanity. He shared his learnings with and stimulated the same intellectual curiosity in his students at Metropolitan State University of Denver for over twenty years – especially in the discipline of Ethics. His considerable library of beloved books has been donated to the Jefferson County Library System – at least the ones that were not all marked up.

Rick loved to look at life up real close – through the lens of a micron telescope or a Nikon camera. It inspired his spirituality, which was informed by various faith traditions over time including Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. His hobby was photography. The Matson family is one of the best documented as a result. He was a member of the North Jeffco and Focus Camera Clubs. He sharpened his skills and collected a host of ribbons in competitions that they and the Colorado Council of Camera Clubs sponsored. He had an acute ability to capture soulfulness and love in human relationships. Inspired by a family tragedy, he contributed his skills to the work of a charity named Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, capturing images of dying pre-mature infants for their bereft parents.

He admired fine, precise engineering, particularly automotive, particularly German. He tinkered, tuned and polished his machines, and occasionally raced them at Dry Creek Raceway. In a similar fashion, he respected and was moved by the masters and makers of music and insisted on the best in audio recording in order to fully appreciate their creativity.

His spirituality also fueled a passion for justice, the earth, community, and political avenues for change. Given his close-up encounter with the horrors of war, and his understanding of the existential threat to the universe and humanity, he spoke out against the proliferation of nuclear weapons at every opportunity – in street protests, the halls of government and institutions of commerce and education.

Rick and Teresa loved four children into fine adults, supporting them at every twist and turn of life. Rick loved riding his Ninja motorcycle through every twist and turn of the Earth whose beauty never failed to inspire. The couple purchased an RV and savored time in the nooks, crannies, rivers, canyons, mountain peaks, pine pinnacles, towns, and watering holes of the Great American West.

Always a teacher, he taught his younger brother how to ride his Harley and a son-in-law how to finish his GED. More important, he taught his children and their children to anchor their life in principles. One example was the belief that, as citizens of the Earth, we all bear responsibility to respect and cherish our Earthly home, to love others as God loves us, and leave things better than when we arrived on the scene.

His Colorado, California and Ohio family members will gather for a private memorial service at Governor’s Hall in Littleton on September 27th. If Rick’s life has touched your life too, consider a donation in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Colorado Chapter, 455 Sherman Street, #500, Denver, CO. 80203. Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. We experienced the “long goodbye.” We are grateful our beloved man is now freed from it and now knows the Love/Truth he perpetually strove to emulate. We will miss him dearly. 

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks and all the sweet serenity of books.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow