Page 28 - Harnett Life Winter 2019

Matthews Construction

and the Family Tradition

of Honest, Hard Work

By Morgan Brown Edwards

and learned a great deal by helping his father Clyde, who
was a handyman in addition to his full time work at the
Erwin mill. His mother Ruth also worked at the mill, and
Matthews own work ethic is modeled after that of his par-
ents. At around 6 years old, living close by Holmes Hard-
ware, he described how he spent most days in wandering
about within the store and asking questions. Mr. Holmes
would pay him “a penny a piece” for every fishing worm
he could catch and take back to the store – which more
often than not, added up to just enough worms for him to
earn just enough change to buy a soft drink and piece of
candy, or a new baseball if the old one was lost across the
neighbor’s fence. “I had everybody’s yard in south Erwin
dug up,” he laughed. Matthews said he knows now that
the fishing worm hunt was a ploy to keep him occupied
and out of the hardware store so Mr. Holmes could take
care of the customers but knows not what became of all
those worms he brought back. At 8 years old, a .22 rifle
was on his Christmas list, and when his parents got the
rifle for him, he wasted no time putting it to good use.
Successful hunts would yield squirrel and rabbits which
he was able to sell to neighbors for a few dollars here
and there. Being old enough to work in the tobacco fields
meant saving up those wages to buy school clothes, but
Don Matthews and his son Cody Matthews also saved up to buy a bird dog. He trained the
dog himself, and would go bird hunting after school, once
Lifelong Erwin resident Don Matthews, owner of Matthews his homework was finished, of course.
Construction & Remodeling, says that sometimes he’s busi-
er than he may want to be, but that’s a good thing. Matthews Matthews said his father taught him how to hunt, and also
and his son Cody have been working together full time in taught him why they were hunting: to kill game for food,
their construction business since 2017, when Matthews not simply for sport. His father taught him about the ani-
retired after putting in 31 years at John Deere. Matthews mals’ behavioral patterns, why they do what they do – to
Construction can handle various indoor jobs such as minor notice how a squirrel reacts when hawks fly overhead, or
electrical work & plumbing, kitchen remodels, bathroom how the fox responds to the slowly approaching deer. Mat-
remodels, and outdoor jobs that include deck building or thews’ goal is to pass this knowledge down to his 5-year-
pressure washing. “It’s just me and my son,” he said, ex- old grandson, Talon, whom he’s kept since the child was
plaining that some larger jobs limit his ability to help other 2. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. Matthews
customers, so he will recommend other contractors for larg- has a tree house that he designed then built, with help
er projects. from both Cody and Talon. It serves both as a treehouse
for Talon, and a tree stand for himself, depending on the
Matthews said he grew up doing odd jobs here and there time of year. He planted vegetation around the structure

Page 28 Harnett Life ~ Winter 2019