Robert (Bob) Lynn Matthews of Woodbridge, Virginia died June 4, 2019, in the Veteran’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.; he was 71 years old. Professionally, he earned a Juris Doctorate in Law, and worked in the aerospace industry for Rockwell, McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing. Before moving to Virginia in 2003, he was Director of Contracts for Boeing in California. He retired in 2012, after a long and successful career.
As a child of an Air Force Colonel, Bob traveled extensively, living in Florida, France, Spain, Boston, Texas, Nebraska, and California. As a child, he was fascinated by the natural world. He particularly loved bugs, reptiles, and all the often lesser loved creatures of the earth. As he grew up he developed a passion for music and guitar, as well as a fascination with big ideas. He developed an encyclopedic knowledge of music from folk, blues, rock, soul, jazz, doo-wop, and big band, to contemporary music. He was a voracious reader, who was particularly interested in literary fiction, philosophy, history, detective fiction, true crime, neuroscience, spirituality, and nature writing. He also journaled extensively and wrote short stories and the beginnings of a memoir. He loved to travel and travelled throughout Europe, the British Isles, the Philippines (as a member of the US Air Force), and the Middle East. As he got older, he continued to see the natural world as a place of peace and repose. He always loved photography, but became more serious about his nature photography after his retirement.