William John Matheson of Gloucester, passed away on April 2, 2017 following complications of his fearless battle with metastatic melanoma, compounded with pneumonia.
John was born May 12, 1950 in Washington, D.C., the youngest of six children to Malcolm Matheson Jr. and Emma Tompkins Matheson. He attended Blue Ridge School, Virginia Wesleyan College, and earned a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. He worked as an architect and landscape architect, serving as founding principal for W. John Matheson & Company.
John loved Gloucester and contributed his time and energy to the community. He served for many years on the boards of Ware Academy and Christchurch School and was a longtime member of the Gloucester Rotary Club, earning the distinction of being a Paul Harris fellow. He donated countless hours of his time helping to revitalize buildings along Gloucester’s historic Main Street. His greatest labor of love was his home, Rabbit Hill, where he and his wife have lived for over 35 years.
John’s most outstanding gift was his kind heart and generous spirit. He had the amazing ability to connect with almost anyone he came across. His warm smile and easy laugh made him known throughout the community as he welcomed new neighbors and business owners alike. His family jokes that it was often difficult accompanying him into town. The trip could easily take hours with John stopping in to say hello to everyone along the way. He was a friend to all and only saw the best in people.
John is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Ruth Whitehead Matheson, and by their daughter, Sarah Matheson Harris, and Sarah’s husband, Eric R. Harris. He is also survived by his five siblings, Malcolm Matheson III, Charles T. Matheson, Emma Matheson Roe, Torrey Matheson Cooke, and Lida Matheson Stifel.
Aside from being an incredible husband and father, his greatest role was being Uncle John to a host of nieces and nephews—who all adored their uncle more than anything.
John lived a full and wonderful life, and will be deeply missed by his large family and many friends.
A service to celebrate John’s life will be held on Saturday, April 29 at one o’clock at Abingdon Episcopal Church, 4645 George Washington Memorial Highway, Gloucester.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts in John’s memory be made to Ware Academy, 7936 John Clayton Memorial Highway, Gloucester, Va. 23061; Blue Ridge School, 273 Mayo Drive, St. George, Va. 22935, or Abingdon Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 82, White Marsh, Va. 23183.