Matthew Barberi, age 97, of Hamden, passed away on June 14, 2014. He was the husband of 72 years to Maryhannah Slingerland Barberi. Born in New Haven on November 12, 1916, he was the son of the late Pasquale and Amelia Ulizio Barbieri. He is the father of Robert (Margarita) Barberi of Weston, CT, Richard (Georgia) Barberi of Great Barrington, MA, Susan (Robert) Montgomery of Westport Point, MA, Marnie (Donald) MacLean of Ancram, NY, and Tom (Ellen) Barberi of Ridgefield, CT; Grandfather of Ian (Klaudia) Barberi, Krin (Dan Carhart) Barberi, Lila (Alex) Hochron, Rose MacLean, Robert Jr., Jeffery, and Susan Barberi, Elizabeth Frishkoff, and Dr. Robert Oelhof; Great-grandfather of Noah and Miriam Hochron, Sonia, Veronika, and Amelia Barberi, Carl and Eric Oelhof, and Melissa and David Frishkoff. A graduate of West Haven High School and Arnold College with a B.S. in 1938, he also received a Master's Degree from New York University and a 6th year certification from Yale University. Matthew served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a Commanding Officer of a minesweeper in the South Pacific. As a Health and Physical Education educator, he taught at the Children's Center, Prince St. School, and Sheridan Junior High School before joining the Hamden school system in 1947. He retired in 1981 as the Director of Health and Physical Education. His professional activities were many: serving as President for several organizations, including the Hamden Education Association, the Association of Hamden Public School Administrators, the CT Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and the CT Association of Administrators of Health and Physical Education. He also served on the Governor's Fitness Committee, the Safety Committee of Hamden, the curriculum department of the State Dept. of Education, and as an instructor for the American Red Cross. He published articles in 'The Bulletin' and 'The Journal of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation,' and was the recipient of many professional awards. He participated in some of the important advances in public education, including establishing the first women's varsity and junior high athletics teams in Hamden and developing the first sex education curriculum in the state of Connecticut. Matthew also served as an adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University and, for many years after his retirement from the Hamden public schools, as an Associate Dean at SCSU. Funeral from BEECHER & BENNETT, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden on Wednesday, June 18th at 10:15 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Rita's Church, Hamden, at 11:00 AM. Friends may also visit with his family at the funeral home on Tuesday, June 17th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Burial with Military Honors will take place in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to St. Rita's Church, 1620 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT 06517, or to Doctors Without Borders, 333 7th Ave., New York, NY 10001.