Cecil George Mateer

Cecil George Mateer, age 90, of Forest Hill, MD died on July 28, 2011 at Lorien of Bel Air. Born in Belfast, Ireland, he was the son of the late William John and Agnes Maud Duffy Mateer. At the age of 13 he went to sea starting out as a cabin boy on a sailing ship. He loved the sea and loved to be near the ocean. When he became of age, he joined the military and was a member of the merchant marines & eventually the Royal Navy. He spent a few years stationed in Sierra Leone and Cairo, Egypt among many other locations. He came to the United States in June 1948 aboard a ship, Marine Jumper and lived in New Port News, Virginia, and Dundalk, MD before moving to Bel Air. He enjoyed working for Bethlehem Steel as a machinist for about 40 years. Because he loved being a machinist, he found a job at Ingolds Machine Shop in Bel Air and also held a few odd jobs such as assembling ultralight planes for a company at Aldino Air Park.

Mr. Mateer is survived by his wife, Catherine Virginia Mateer of Forest Hill, MD; son, James S. Mateer and wife, Catherine, of Bel Air, MD; daughters, Sherrie Ruhl and husband, John of Forest Hill, MD and Cindy Celentano of Ellicott City, MD; and grandchildren, John Ruhl Jr. and Charlotte Ruhl both of Forest Hill, MD. In addition to his parents, and all his siblings, he was predeceased by his first wife, Phyllis M. Mateer who died in 1983 and his son-in-law Alphonse Celentano.