William Lawrence Matthews, 82

William Lawrence Bill Matthews, 82, passed away in La Palma, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. Bill was born in Manhattan, N.Y., on Dec. 27, 1926. After Pearl Harbor was attacked Bill joined the Navy. He married his sweetheart, Catherina, and soon he was off to war in the Asian Pacific. In 1945, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, his ship was bombed by the Japanese. He lost hearing in one ear and caught shrapnel that could never be removed. Bill lost crewmates that day. Though his ship was not sunk it had to later be dismantled. He is survived by his wife, Cathy; and children, Jimmy, Diane, Nancy, Billy, Joey and Christopher, and many grandchildren. His two nieces, Sherry Iavicoli and Carolyn Lopez, reside here in Kalispell. He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Edward and Pete. He and his wife made several pilgrimages to the Pearl Harbor memorial site over the years. It perplexed Bill to know so many men and women of the Greatest Generation were dying off, and new generations would forget the price that was paid for our freedom and liberties. He will be buried with full military honors presented by the U.S. Navy at 2 p.m. Dec. 11, at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, Calif. Bill was a recipient of The Purple Heart medal.