Matthew Blakely

Matthew L. Blakely of Stratford, Connecticut (currently resided in Atlantic Beach, Florida), beloved husband of L. Rita Blakely, passed into eternal rest on March 9, 2017.  Matthew was a native of Stratford, Connecticut, having lived there most of his life.  He was educated in local schools and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1941.  While engaged in graduate studies in Washington, at the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the US Navy for Naval Intelligence and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.  He served as a Japanese Interpreter in the South Pacific with the 4th Division, where he saw combat in Iwo Jima, then in North China with the 1st Marine Division. He was appointed to the rank of Captain on the Retired list of The Marine Corps Reserve by virtue of his combat decorations, which included the Silver Star medal.

After returning from military service in 1946, he was involved with the design of major building structures and obtained his Professional Engineer Registration.  This was followed by a career that spanned almost half a century as a corporate officer and executive in charge of construction for many major building projects throughout southern New England.

He was a proud supporter of numerous Veterans’ organizations and was a Charter Member of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. Matthew will be laid to rest in a plot adjacent to that of his wife, Rita, who is also  a WWII Veteran.  Burial will be with full Military honors. He is survived by his wife, and  daughter, Gail Blakely, of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as well as his sister, Marie Wright, of Barrington, R.I. Any memorials in his memory may be given to the charity of one’s choice.