John Matthews has done things the right way in the eyes of many.

The Mexico native has made it a big part of his life to serve those in his community and more so when things get really harrowing.

Matthews, a volunteer for the Red Cross for four decades, takes a lot of pride in helping others and that led to his being recognized Monday at the Audrain County Courthouse with the Lt. Governor’s Senior Service Award.

“I am flabbergasted because I didn’t know exactly (what was going to happen), but I knew something was being planned,” Matthews said, noting that despite the hush-hush efforts of those involved in the ceremony, he had an inkling something was up. “I happened to be sitting at the other end of the couch when Kent (Haden) called my wife a month ago and said, ‘What do you think about this?’

“The seniors of this community are the lifeblood of this community. If you don’t believe me, go to the Senior Center and talk to those people. They have the history and are the lifeblood of this community.”

Matthews said it is important to continue to recognize those that don’t just “give their life, but their life force.”

His work got the attention of plenty of those who endeavor in the same areas of helping others.

“John has delivered lifesaving Red Cross services to thousands of people around the country in the course of his time with the Red Cross,” the Red Cross’ John Dungan said. “We are so proud that his contributions to the community through the Red Cross and beyond have been recognized by this award.”

Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe came down to Mexico to personally present Matthews with the honor.

Kehoe mentioned that his office is focused on being an advocate for state seniors for quite some time now.

“We needed to start recognizing these men and women across the state who do amazing things for their communities and really don’t want any acknowledgement,” Kehoe said. “They just want to go about their retired life and help with the community.

“This is my fourth year doing it and we’ve literally had hundreds of applications and we decided to narrow it down a little bit and focus on the best of the best. This year, we have 11 winners.”

Kehoe noted that “great communities have great volunteers,” and that Matthews’ work has been “legendary.”

Kehoe took time focusing on Matthews’ time in the St. Louis area to help following the monster storm that dumped eight inches of rain in 24 hours last week.

“The impact you’ve had on people’s lives really impacted our hearts,” Kehoe said. “What you have done for tens of thousands of people over the years is not measurable by a piece of paper in a wooden frame.

“It’s measured by your family and your community that’s here to tell you ‘Thank you.’”

Matthews has been named the Volunteer of the Year twice during his days providing service to the community.

House Representative Kent Haden introduced Kehoe and also shared his thoughts on Matthews, noting he had known the man for thirty years.

Matthews serves on the boards of several different community organizations in Mexico and was deployed recently to do damage assessments in the St. Charles/St. Louis county areas due to residential flooding. 

“John is a good man to have on your team and brings a great depth of knowledge of the volunteer organization sector,” Carl Donaldson, Director of Emergency Management for Audrain County, said.

Presiding Commissioner Alan Winders said that, on behalf of the local government officials, he was happy to present such an award in the courthouse.

“Some days there are some really good things that happen at the courthouse,” he said.

Matthews admitted that he would be back to St. Louis the next day to continue helping with the efforts to fix up the damage the city was still dealing with.

“This is an honor that I got to be able to share with you all,” he said in closing.