By CHARLES OWENS
TAZEWELL, Va. — General District Court Judge Gregory Stephen Matney was remembered Tuesday by friends and co-workers as a “wonderful judge” and “excellent attorney.”
Matney, who took the oath of office on May 22 to fill a vacated judgeship in the 29th Judicial Circuit, passed away Tuesday morning following a brief illness.
“I think that in his illness he did more to show all those around him how to live than almost anyone I’ve ever met,” General District Court Judge Jack Hurley said. “He and I would be in different counties pretty much by necessity everyday. But I would call him frequently to see how he was feeling. Without exception, even when I saw him last Thursday, he told me he was feeling fine and great. He loved being a judge, and he was an excellent jurist. He was patient with the litigants. He was genuinely liked by all of the attorneys. The loss is much more than on a professional level, but very much on a personal level. I will miss him as a friend first. For over 20 years, I knew him.”
“It is a sad day,” Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Henry Barringer said. “He and I went to high school together. He and I started practicing law at about the same time, and were involved in politics together. He was a gem of a person.”
Matney, a former police officer, went on to practice law for more than 21 years before accepting the judgeship last May.
“There were quite a few afternoons that he and I got together and talked law,” Barringer said. “I kind of miss those. He would give me a call, and say what’s going on — let’s get together. Some of the things we did in politics, we both enjoyed that when we were involved (in politics). We both enjoyed the process. I know Greg and I competed for the Republican nomination for Commonwealth Attorney. I won the nomination, but ultimately lost the race. But he was very supportive of me afterwards.”
Doug Campbell, a long-time friend and partner in the law firm of Campbell & Matney in Tazewell, said Matney’s original ambition was to become a state trooper.
“He was just a very, very close friend, and Greg Matney — I guess the most striking thing about him is he never, never lost his temper,” Campbell said.
“Greg, when he got out of high school, his ambition was to become a state trooper. He couldn’t pass the physical. His eye sight kept him from becoming a trooper. So he was a town officer in Tazewell, and a deputy sheriff in Tazewell County. All the while he was going to school. I know he went to Bluefield State and somewhere else. Then he went out to Newport News and became a police man there, and resumed his education and got a master’s degree. Then he was hit by a car while he was directing traffic, and collected some insurance money. He used to joke that he was really torn between buying a Corvette and going to law school. He went to Washington and Lee.”
Campbell said Matney later went on to work for Norris Kantor in Bluefield before serving with Campell & Matney for the past 16 years.
“I wish he could have been a judge for longer,” Campbell said. “Because he would have proven to be one of the best. He certainly had the demeanor.”
Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee said Matney was an excellent judge.
“I’ve known Greg since I first started practicing law,” Lee said. “He was an excellent attorney, and I thought in his short stint on the bench that he showed he would have made an excellent judge. We will really miss him on many levels. As a person, he was always a joy to be around. He was very funny and full of life. It’s just a tragedy on so many levels. Our heart goes out to his family. He was an officer, and I know that when he was in private practice he went out of his way to assist police officers when they needed help with legal matters, and so forth. He was a real friend to law enforcement.”
Despite a brief illness, Lee said Matney remained on the bench.
Connie Comer, a clerk of the General District Court who worked under Matney, said he remained on the bench up until last Thursday.
“He was a wonderful judge, and we will miss him greatly,” Comer said. “He did such a great job on the bench. He had experience from law enforcement, and of course from his own practice being an attorney for several years. He had a lot of experience in the those fields, so that helped him to be an excellent judge. He missed very little time. He was so determined. He wanted to stay on the bench. He wanted to work as much as possible. He actually worked up until Thursday. He went into the hospital on Friday. He wanted to continue. It’s a very sad day. We’ve all been very upset. A lot of law enforcement are calling to see if they can help in any way.”
Matney is survived by his wife Rhonda, and two daughters. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
