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326 Terry St, Longmont
CO 80501
Phone: 303-776-2313
Matthew Held
In Memory of
Matthew
Held
2017
Memorial Candle Tribute From
Ahlberg Funeral Chapel and Crematory
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Obituary for Matthew Held

Matthew  Held
Matthew Held, a resident of Longmont, CO, and formerly of New York City, died peacefully at home on November 13, 2017. He was 88.

Matthew was born in Brooklyn and spent most of his life in New York. In his youth, he
traveled by hitchhiking from New York to Washington and California, and then took the southern route to Arizona. Since his father would only agree to finance his adventures if he was enrolled in school, he studied at the University of Arizona for awhile, then succumbed to restlessness and headed east. His most memorable experience in higher education was as a student of philosophy at Brandeis University. However, Matthew educated himself far beyond the typical achievements in any institution through extensive reading.

After returning home from one of his adventures, he was surprised to find a letter awaiting him from The Journal of Religion informing him that the paper he had submitted prior to embarking on his journeys, "The Historical Kierkegaard: Faith or Gnosis," had been selected for publication. That paper appeared in The Journal of Religion, Vol. XXXVII, No. 4, October 1957.

In the 1960s, Matthew landed a job as production manager at Praeger Publishers in New York, the start of a lifetime friendship with its owner, Frederick Praeger. After that company was sold to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Matthew started his own publishing company, Allanheld Osmun, with his first wife, Sara Osmun Held, in the Montclair, NJ, home where they raised their two children. In 1985, after selling his interest in that company, Matthew accepted a leadership position with Westview Press in Boulder, Colorado, owned and run by his old friend, Frederick Praeger. He was made President and Publisher in the early 1990s.

When health issues forced Matthew's retirement in 2000, he began the decade-long task of writing a book. The result was a unique story, The Two Samuels: Letters and Papers from the 20th Century (Para Doks Press, 2011, available through Amazon).

Matthew was an intellectual, well versed in the machinations of the political world, military history, and the human race in general. Over his lifetime, he accumulated vast knowledge of art, literature, and music. He loved classical music, especially Bach, and he and his second wife, LaVerne, attended Bach concerts at the Ryssby Church where his cremains will rest.

Matthew will be remembered for his intelligence, wit, sense of humor, warmth, generosity, tolerance, and zest for life. He was an unforgettable character, quite simply one of a kind.

He is survived by his wife of 22 years, LaVerne (Lansdown) Held, two daughters, Susannah Held and Janavi Held, a stepson, Evan Hepburn, and Evan's wife, Jennifer Hepburn, two stepdaughters, Piper Hepburn and Kelly Arnold (with her husband, Ken Arnold), seven grandchildren, Zachary, Joshua and Joseph Hepburn, Avery Krier, Honore Morgan, and Tyge and Mikiyas Arnold, and many longtime friends and colleagues.

He was predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Dorothy Held, his only sibling, Shirley (Held) Heller, and many close friends.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at 2:00 pm at Ryssby Church, 9000 N. 63rd St., Longmont, CO 80503. The church is on a hilltop just north of Prospect Road.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Matthew Held, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

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303-776-2313 326 Terry St, Longmont CO 80501 | Phone: 303-776-2313