Raymond C. Matkin, 56, a veteran Waco lawyer and former McLennan County judge, died Tuesday, June 10, at his home. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Connally-Compton Funeral Home, 4400 W. Waco Drive. Services will be 2 p.m. Friday, June 13, at Lake Shore Baptist Church, 5801 Bishop Drive, the Rev. Sharlande Sledge and Judge Alan Mayfield officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery.A lifelong resident of McLennan County and a native of Waco, Mr. Matkin was born Nov. 21, 1946, to Marietta and John Sanford Matkin Jr. He graduated from Waco High School in 1964 and finished an accounting degree at Baylor University in 1968. He completed Baylor School of Law in 1971 and became a prosecutor in the McLennan County District Attorney's office that same year. He became chief felony prosecutor before leaving the office in 1977 to enter private practice. He married Karen Cable, also a former prosecutor in the DA's office, on June 10, 1978, in Waco. In 1986, Mr. Matkin was elected McLennan County judge, presiding over McLennan County Commissioners Court. Because he was involved in matters of probate as county judge, he developed a keen interest in the subject as well as guardianship and the problems of the elderly. During this time he started working with Friends for Life, a local agency that acts as guardian for people unable to care for themselves. Through his legal work, Friends for Life was able to create its first guardianship. Mr. Matkin contributed thousands of hours of work for free, allowing the agency to take care of a number of people for more than a decade. He continued that work until his death. When he left the county judge's office in 1991, he became associated with a local law firm and focused on problems of the elderly. After co-founding Matkin & Matkin LLP in 1998 with his wife, he concentrated mainly on issues involving the elderly, including planning for benefits, estate planning, nursing home issues, guardianship and probate. He also lectured on the issue and was recognized as a volunteer to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services for volunteer work with elder citizens.Mr. Matkin was president of the Legal Aid Society, now Heart of Texas Legal Services, and chairman of the board of the Central Texas Economic Development District, working closely with the agency on loans to small businesses. He was a board member and president of the Heart of Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; a member of the Heart of Texas Fair board; a founding member of the McLennan County Emergency Assistance District board; and a board member of the Heart of Texas Estate Planning Council. He liked to garden and often gave cuttings of favorite plants to fellow gardeners.Survivors include his wife, Karen; two brothers, Lt. Col. Donald Matkin of Fort Worth and his wife, Paula, and Robert Matkin of San Antonio and his wife, Laura Jean; and six nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Judge George Allen, Don Elmore, Douglas Flanigan, Bobby Perry, Bobby Reed, and Garland Rowan. Memorial contributions may be sent to Friends for Life, P.O. Box 23491, Waco, 76702.