Matlick, Kirby Dene

Kirby Dene Matlick, 74, of Roanoke, died Thursday, Oct. 12, after a stroke. He was born on January 4, 1949 in Marquess, W.Va.

His survivors include his sister, Ramona Matlick Scarton; his brother and sister-in-law, Gareth and Jo Matlick; and his sister-in-law, Mariann Matlick. He also is survived by 10 nieces and nephews and their 16 children. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Harriet Matlick; his brother, B.K. Matlick; sister, Sharlene Matlick Gordon; and brothers-in-law Bennie Scarton Jr. and Harold Gordon.

Matlick earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Virginia Tech in 1970, then studied for his CPA. After working in private practice in Leesburg, Va., he moved to North Carolina, where his professional interests included manufacturing. He returned to Virginia to work in accounting for two auto-parts retailers.

Matlick enjoyed spending time and traveling with every generation of his family, from hosting his siblings and their spouses on trips to Hawaii, Denver and Las Vegas to inviting his nieces and their children to Virginia Tech football games. He also enjoyed an annual fall trip to Las Vegas with his close friends, the Pagonis siblings – which included his long-time college friend, Fred Pagonis.

He was a longtime Hokie football season ticketholder, and he added season tickets for Virginia Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball after he retired. He watched every Virginia Tech team he could find through expanding video streaming services and sports channels. Even with Pagonis and his wife, Kay, pitching in to help, Matlick could only convince two from his subsequent generations to embrace the Hokie spirit and enroll at Virginia Tech.

In his spare time, Matlick collected chess sets and taught many of his relatives how to play. That collection included dozens of vintage sets made from many different materials, and he also had themed sets tied to Star Trek and Harry Potter.

He also was an avid reader, with a physical library that included hundreds of books and an endless stash of digital titles. Uninterested with the slow play of baseball, Matlick always declared the sport’s “opening day” as the start of “reading season.” He preferred spy novels and mysteries, and he was working his way through re-reading all 89 of Louis L’Amour’s Western novels.

In the spring, the family plans to scatter his remains along a creek near the original family homestead in West Virginia. The family suggests donations to Virginia Tech Athletics to honor Kirby Matlick and his love of the Hokies. Gifts can be mailed to Virginia Tech Athletic Fund, P.O. Box 10309, Blacksburg, VA 24062. Please write “In memory of Kirby Matlick” on the check memo line.