William Patrick Matthews

William Patrick Matthews, 65, of Indianapolis, passed away on Sunday, December 9, 2012. He was born on September 10, 1947. William grew up in Georgetown, IL, the son of Keith and Clara Matthews. He worked at General Motors for over 35 years, retiring as a Journeyman Millwright. William was actively involved in organized labor, serving 10 years as President of UAW Local 579 and was Chairman of the Bargaining Committee for Local 23 at the time of his retirement. He assisted a countless number of his union brothers and sisters through two plant closings. He also worked with the AFL-CIO and served as a Horizon One CFU committee member. William was an avid car enthusiast, a Colts season ticket holder, and was highly involved in Democratic politics. Later in life he developed a love of animals, especially Tempe, the dog of his neighbors and special friends, Shelly Plotner and Eve Hitchings. Most of all, William loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Mary (Meers); children, Michael Matthews, Michelle (Eric) Overfelt, and Kathleen (Jonathan Weidert) Matthews; grandchildren, Collin, Claire, Campbell, Chloe and Vanessa Overfelt; nieces and nephew, Kaylynne & Brianna Bice, and Allison & Austin Payton; and sister, Connie Chavez. William was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Ronald Wilson, Sr.

A celebration of his life will be held at Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Mortuary, 11411 North Michigan Road, on Friday, December 14th at 2:30pm, with the family receiving callers from 1-2pm preceding the service. Arrangements entrusted to A.R.N. Cremation Services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN; 5610 Crawfordsville Rd, Suite 2101, Indianapolis, IN 46224 or www.icandog.org) or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).