Anthony L Matthews

Anthony (Tony) L. Matthews, 52, died Sept. 29, 2012 after a long and courageous battle against renal cell carcinoma. He was surrounded by his loving family and slipped away quietly and peacefully as was the way he walked through life. A memorial service will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 6th at the First Congregational Church, 1128 Pine St., Boulder, CO.

Tony was born March 10, 1960 in Rome, Italy to Eugene (Gene) and Wanda Miller Matthews. The family moved to Boulder that same year. Years later, Tony settled his own family on the same property he and his brother grew up on. Tony graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in History.

Tony was a champion of justice and was known for his ability to ferret out information to get to the truth. He started his law enforcement career as a Boulder County Sheriff's Office Explorer and became a deputy sheriff in 1981, graduating top of his class. Tony became a detective where he investigated many high-profile cases, utilizing his incredible memory and deductive skills to help bring closure to many victims. He was considered an expert in fingerprint analysis and testified often as an expert witness for numerous agencies in Boulder County. His extensive crime scene investigation experience was passed on to students through instructing cadets at the Arapahoe Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy for many years.

Tony retired from the Sheriff's Office after 20 years of service and began the next and final phase of his career as a Criminal Investigator with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, investigating Medicaid Fraud.

Although Tony's many professional accomplishments were noteworthy, he found his greatest fulfillment in his family. After marrying his best friend, Susan (Susie) Witman in 1986, Tony became the proud father of two sons, Edward and Andrew (Drew) Matthews. The boys could not have found a better daddy to support them through their numerous adventures and athletic pursuits and Tony could always be found cheering from the side-lines or pitching in with various Boy Scout events.

Tony is survived by his wife of 26 years, Edward, 24, Drew, 21, and his brother Dan (wife-Carla) of Idaho.

In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted in support of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Explorer Program in Tony’s name through the Boulder Municipal Credit Union, 2800 Arapahoe, Boulder, CO 80302-account name BCSO Explorer Post 500.