David Lee Mathews

Recognized by pretty much everyone in Norman and the surrounding communities for his green Toyota FJ-45 imported from South Africa, Dave was a tile man by trade and an artist at heart. He found beauty in the mundane and lived by his own, unique rhythm. He wore green almost every day, loved the mountains in Colorado, and really never met a stranger (or mostly everyone who met him instantly liked him which meant no one was a stranger for long).

David “Dave” Lee Mathews passed from this life on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at home following a brief illness. He would have found so many things to say and made jokes about leaving the earth on Leap Day.

Dave was a Cajun and you could hear it in his voice! Born on June 7, 1954 in Shreveport, LA, he was the second of 4 boys born to Dr. William Rosier Mathews Jr and Ila Lee Rogers Mathews. Heavily involved in Boy Scouts, he was advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout on December 3, 1968 with 29 merit badges that he always kept on display wherever he lived. He moved with his family to Norman, OK when he was 13 and later joined the Navy at age 18.

In 1976 he started laying tile alongside his then father-in-law Wayne McClard who taught him the old way using mortar and lath. It was a job that enabled his creativity and artistry to come alive. He would add little designs and special touches to every project and loved to show off what he was currently working on that week. He loved his work and was a true craftsman artist. He would joke that all he wanted was to “do this work with all my heart until I can’t lift my trowel and then someone will just find me face-first in my mixing tub.” He worked concrete and stone until he no longer had identified finger prints because his hands were so calloused and rough. His craft can been seen on display in homes and restaurants and other places all over central Oklahoma.

Dave also loved music and was constantly playing his bongos or congas or finding any other surface where he could create a beat or rhythm with his hands. He was most happy when he was lost in a song, playing away to the beat and then would stop and say “How was that?”

He would often quote scripture and usually it was a verse supporting his desire to have very little—he really only truly cared about his children, his friends, his work and music. He prided himself on having very few possessions and often gave money to both friends and strangers.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents. He will be missed by his son, Grady Mathews and his daughter, Jennifer Mathews Hann, his brothers (Bill, Bryan and Grant), family and friends. His Mathews bloodline lives on through his grandkids (Isabelle Moore, Jameson Hann, and Asher Mathews), 2 nieces (Shanna Mathews and Lindsey Mathews), and a nephew (Brandon Mathews).

Lastly, Dave wrote poetry almost daily on anything he could find (post it, a scrap of paper, the back of an envelope) and kept them all in a small basket. He would call his kids and friends and read whatever he had recently written. Some were very heartfelt and others were humorous. On August 4, 2005 he wrote, “I don’t know what God has up His sleeve, but I do believe that it’s much more than I can conceive.” That was Dave, always poetic and ever hopeful. He wasn’t perfect but he was perfectly Dave.

A Celebration of Life will be held 6PM Friday March 13, 2020 at The Mercury, 426 E. Main St. Norman, OK 73071.

Arrangements entrusted to Primrose Funeral Service, Norman, OK. Sign the online guestbook at www.primrosefuneralservice.com