Richard was born February 10, 1938 in the Big Bay Community. He was the son of Victor and Blanche (Reames) Mathis.
On December 23, 1994, Richard was united in marriage to Connie E. Garduno in the Big Bay Community. She survives.
Other survivors include: 5 children –Christie (Roy) West of Cypress, Christopher (Amy) Mathis of Steeleville, Dorothy (Lee) Stump of Metropolis, Jeannie (Ferdie) Ng of Aurora, and Kathryn McDonald of Madison, Wisconsin; several grandchildren and great grandchildren; and a brother – Kenneth (Rebecca) Mathis of Metropolis.
In addition to his parents, Richard was preceded in death by: a brother and sister-in-law: William R. and Jeanne Mathis.
Richard had attended the Metropolis High School. He was a U.S. Army veteran. Richard was employed as a mechanic by the Massac County Highway Department.
Richard was of the Baptist faith. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed spending time in his yard with his cats.