Jamie Franklin Matthews, III, died Sunday, July 27, 2014 at his home in Denton.
Mr. Matthews was born on August 9, 1958 to Jamie Franklin Matthews, Jr. and Mary Ellen (Bush) Matthews. Jamie received his Associate's degree in Nursing from Cooke County College in 1984, licensed as an RN. He also achieved his BA in physics from the University of North Texas in 1992.
He worked for 30 years as a dedicated emergency room nurse/EMT and enjoyed teaching classes in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. He worked in the emergency rooms of Flow Memorial Hospital; Denton Regional Medical Center; Parkland Hospital; First Choice Emergency; and most recently Baylor Emergency Medical Center in Keller. As a member of the TX-4 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) he was part of the first wave of disaster relief into New Orleans after Katrina. Jamie volunteered as an advocate for the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses.
He married Cynthia Ortego on May 19, 1994 in New Orleans, LA. Jamie is survived by his wife, Cynthia Matthews of Denton; his sister and her husband, Emily Anne Matthews and Randolph Raynolds of Brookhaven, MS; his cousins Robert Bush (children Kaitlyn and Ian), Amy Matthews and Susie Quinney. Other survivors include brother-in-law and his wife, Christopher and Brenda Ortego of Avon, NY; sisters-in-law, Melinda Ortego of Lewisville and Rebecca Kepley of Austin; nephew, Max Ortego-Smith of Austin. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, John Matthews. Jamie was a member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.
Funeral services will be held at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church on Saturday, August 9 at 2 PM. A memorial service will also be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages charitable donations to the American Cancer Society, Denton Humane Society, Episcopal Relief and Development, or the charity of your choice.