Paul Matson

In the early morning hours of March 10, 2018, just as peacefully as he would walk through the orchards, Paul Matson left this life to be with God. Paul was born on October 17, 1931 in Yakima, WA to Roger and Alice Matson. He was the third of their four sons. Paul grew up on the family orchard in Selah, Wa. He enjoyed horseback riding, hunting, fishing, jeeping, and snowmobiling. The family cabin at Goose Prairie was the perfect jumping off point for many of his adventures in the mountains, and he spent as much time there as he was able. Over the years Paul passed his love of the mountains on to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Paul attended school in Selah, graduating from Selah High School in 1950. He served in the Navy for 3 years during the Korean War, first as harbor patrol out of Tacoma and then aboard the USS Platte, which was a refueling vessel. While in the Navy, he met Joyce Bransford on a blind date and they were married on February 24, 1953. He and Joyce settled down on the family orchard where he worked and lived for the rest of his life. His parents old house has been a good house, fine just the way it was. It was good in 1930, so it was good today. In that house they raised a family of 6 children, celebrated all the holidays, and just recently their 65th wedding anniversary. Paul and Joyce enjoyed countless Sunday afternoon drives, travelled to uncounted local and regional sites, and took many trips with their friends travelling to Florida, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Southwest. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, his three brothers; Keith and his wife MaryEllen, Alan, and Marc and his wife Dot, his son, David, his daughter Jeanne, his nephew Tim, and his great-grandson, Micheal. He leaves behind and will be dearly missed by his wife, his children; Roger (Debby), Mike, Janet (Norm), and Beth; his grandchildren; Lisa, Paige, Serene, Matthew, David, Tara, and Shelby; his great-grandchildren Morgan, Joshua, Victoria, Jacob, Hope, Djinia, Alastor, Chance, and Caine; his nieces and nephews; Jon, Lyn, Suzy, Chris, Dee, Terri, Doug, Gregg, Tim, Terry, Pat, and Lynette. Paul was also very close with all of his in-laws. He is also survived by many friends and neighbors, and his cat Tiger. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, March 24th at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church in Selah. A rosary will precede the mass at 10:00 am, and a reception will follow at the church hall. Graveside services and military honors will be held at Terrace Heights Memorial Park on March 26, 2018 at 1:30 pm. The family would like to thank Heartlinks and Total Care for their help and kindness in caring for Paul in the final days of his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Paul Matson, please visit our flower store.