George W. Matson, a resident of Darien, CT, passed away suddenly on Friday, July 25, 2014 at Stamford Hospital.
A bright and charming man, George was the beloved husband of Jeanne D. Matson. Born on December 12, 1939 in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of George W. Matson, Sr. and Margaret McCleary Matson. George graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and joined the US Navy where he served on a submarine in Japan and Hawaii. Upon discharge, George moved to Harrisburg, PA and, in 1965, joined the Clairol division of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company as a Sales Representative.
He rose rapidly through the management ranks and, by age 34, was named the youngest Division Manager in the history of the Clairol Company. Throughout his career, George was promoted to Vice President of Marketing Services at the New York headquarters and, later, Vice President-Sales of Clairol Canada. After leaving Clairol, George joined Colgate-Palmolive as General Manager—National Accounts. He retired from Colgate in 1995 and completed his professional career as the Vice President-Sales for Bari Cosmetics, an entrepreneurial venture owned by fellow Clairol employee, from 1995- 2004.
After living for almost 20 years in New York City, George and his family moved to Darien, CT in 1996. His two youngest children completed their primary education through the Darien Public Schools and both were members of Darien EMS-Post 53. In his retirement, George became an avid golfer, playing as often as possible and watching every available tournament on the Golf Channel. He loved jazz music, film noir and baseball. He never got over the fact that the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis. He cherished many wonderful friendships and had a terrific sense of humor, which was loved by all.
A celebration of George's life will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, 155 East 22nd Street, New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be sent in George Matson's name to: Darien EMS-Post 53, P.O. Box 2066, Darien, CT 06820.
For more information visit the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home website.