Colonel Robert Matzke remembered by 3 loving children, still hopeful for a tip in his murder

HOLMES BEACH, Fla. - As the baby of the family, LuAnne Rowlett had a very close relationship with her late father. Even after 30 years, it's still difficult to talk about the day he died.

"My sister-in-law was sitting in a chair and she says, 'your dad's gone.' And I remember in disbelief thinking, how did this happen?" LuAnne said with tears in her eyes.

At 28 years old, LuAnne was in shock when she found out her dad had been shot dead.

"She said, 'I don't have any details.'  So I think that was probably one of the hardest things to swallow was like, there are no details?  He's just been shot, like random?! Someone picked him out?" LuAnne said. The shock still making her voice quiver.

LuAnne's father, Robert Matzke, witnessed what he thought was a car crash across from his West Bay Condominium Complex. Trying to help, being the generous man he was, he approached the person leaving the scene. Investigators say that mysterious man killed Robert with a single shot to the head.

"It was the shock and the disbelief of something that my dad was here in one moment and then gone," LuAnne remembers.

The small, quiet area of Anna Maria Island forever shattered by a shocking murder.

Scott Matzke is LuAnne's older brother and admired his father, who was once a colonel in the military.

"It shook this community big-time. They went from sleepy community to 'wow, big time crime has hit our sleepy little island,' and it was pretty shocking," Scott said.  

After retiring, Robert moved the family to Manatee County in 1967 and made it their new home. Scott says his sudden death changed him forever.

"It magnified everything that meant something to me because the reality was you could die anytime. Anything could happen at any moment," Scott said.

Robert worked for years with Manatee County schools as the director of maintenance and transportation and the school district even dedicated the new transportation center after him. The new Robert G. Matzke Support Center houses over 500 Manatee County School District employees and is home to vehicle maintenance, transportation, and construction services.

"It was horrible because I was very, very, very close to my dad, very close," said Sally Durham, the oldest in the family. Sally shared a special bond with her father and you could see it in her eyes.

"He would call me in the spur of the moment and he'd say 'what ya doing?' I'd say, 'well, taking care of the kids.' And he'd say, 'how about meeting me for lunch?' Or he would just call me to say I love you." Sally remembers.

But that spontaneity would come to an end. Robert lost his life at age 60.

"It was just devastating to all of us, really ripped all our hearts," Sally said, fighting back tears.

And he left behind not just these siblings but grandchildren and great grandchildren. So after all these years, they hope someone will have a tip that solves this case.

"Closure is not the word. I don't know if I'd use that or not. But there's just a hole that's there that would hopefully feel like its not there anymore," LuAnne expressed.
 
"I would like the guy to be off the streets because the potential of him to do that to somebody else. That would be a relief," Scott said.

And if these siblings had a chance to say goodbye? Each answered after much thought.

Sally said, "I would have told him how much I loved him. He was a great dad."

LuAnne, with tears now rolling down her face said, "I definitely would have told him I love him."  

And Scott, fighting back his emotions, simply wished he could show his dad how much he loved him.

"Just a hug...  just a hug," Scott said.

Coming up Wednesday, December 14 at 8pm, the I-Team has a half hour prime time special investigation you'll want to watch.

The I-Team has spent more than a year investigating one of Florida's most puzzling unsolved cold cases. Four people were murdered in broad daylight and the killer simply vanished. We examine the clues and you could help catch a killer.