DECATUR -- Funeral for Sylvia Ann Chapman Matthews, 73, of Decatur will be Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at 10 a.m. at Westmeade Baptist Church with Dr. Scotty Hogan officiating and Shelton Funeral Home directing. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Visitation will be tonight from 6 to 8 at the funeral home. The body will be at the church one hour prior to the service.
Mrs. Matthews died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at Decatur Morgan Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1942, in Morgan County to Woodrow and Beatrice Chapman.
In her early professional career, Sylvia worked to support the needs of foster children while working for the department of Pensions and Security (currently DHR). She later moved into another chapter of her career with helping to support the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities at the Center for the Developmentally Disabled. All the while, she and her husband, John, were raising their own family of five kids while helping to care for and raise over 157 foster children from the North Alabama area. The love that Sylvia shared through foster care spanned over 35 years. Whether she was cooking supper for a daily household of more than 10, participating in youth mission tours with her church, or worshipping with her church family, she was always committed with a servant's heart.
A servant's heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. It's about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It's about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It's about showing Christ's love through your actions and words. Sylvia definitely embodied the true meaning of a "Servant's Heart."
She was preceded in death by Jonathan L. Matthews (son) 1963-1963 and J. Stephens Matthews (son) 1967-1967.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, John Raymond Matthews; two sons, Michael Matthews of Helena and Andy Matthews of Decatur; three daughters, Susan Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Karen Hennecy of Birmingham and Laura McKeller of Columbiana; one sister, Mary Sue Wilkerson of Moulton; seven grandchildren, Katherine Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina, Alivia Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Brooks McKeller and Kate McKeller, both of Columbiana, Aja Matthews of Helena, CJ Hennecy of Birmingham and Eli Matthews of Helena; and one great-grandchild, Johnluke Ira Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina.
Pallbearers will be Charlie Matthews, Kent Wilkerson, Chris Wilkerson, Jeff Green, Wiley McKeller and Brooks McKeller.
Honorary pallbearers will be Woody Fowler, CJ Hennecy, Eli Matthews and Johnluke Ira Goding.
Published in the Decatur Daily on February 18, 2016
Mrs. Matthews died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at Decatur Morgan Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1942, in Morgan County to Woodrow and Beatrice Chapman.
In her early professional career, Sylvia worked to support the needs of foster children while working for the department of Pensions and Security (currently DHR). She later moved into another chapter of her career with helping to support the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities at the Center for the Developmentally Disabled. All the while, she and her husband, John, were raising their own family of five kids while helping to care for and raise over 157 foster children from the North Alabama area. The love that Sylvia shared through foster care spanned over 35 years. Whether she was cooking supper for a daily household of more than 10, participating in youth mission tours with her church, or worshipping with her church family, she was always committed with a servant's heart.
A servant's heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. It's about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It's about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It's about showing Christ's love through your actions and words. Sylvia definitely embodied the true meaning of a "Servant's Heart."
She was preceded in death by Jonathan L. Matthews (son) 1963-1963 and J. Stephens Matthews (son) 1967-1967.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, John Raymond Matthews; two sons, Michael Matthews of Helena and Andy Matthews of Decatur; three daughters, Susan Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Karen Hennecy of Birmingham and Laura McKeller of Columbiana; one sister, Mary Sue Wilkerson of Moulton; seven grandchildren, Katherine Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina, Alivia Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Brooks McKeller and Kate McKeller, both of Columbiana, Aja Matthews of Helena, CJ Hennecy of Birmingham and Eli Matthews of Helena; and one great-grandchild, Johnluke Ira Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina.
Pallbearers will be Charlie Matthews, Kent Wilkerson, Chris Wilkerson, Jeff Green, Wiley McKeller and Brooks McKeller.
Honorary pallbearers will be Woody Fowler, CJ Hennecy, Eli Matthews and Johnluke Ira Goding.
Published in the Decatur Daily on February 18, 2016
DECATUR -- Funeral for Sylvia Ann Chapman Matthews, 73, of Decatur will be Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at 10 a.m. at Westmeade Baptist Church with Dr. Scotty Hogan officiating and Shelton Funeral Home directing. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Visitation will be tonight from 6 to 8 at the funeral home. The body will be at the church one hour prior to the service.
Mrs. Matthews died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at Decatur Morgan Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1942, in Morgan County to Woodrow and Beatrice Chapman.
In her early professional career, Sylvia worked to support the needs of foster children while working for the department of Pensions and Security (currently DHR). She later moved into another chapter of her career with helping to support the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities at the Center for the Developmentally Disabled. All the while, she and her husband, John, were raising their own family of five kids while helping to care for and raise over 157 foster children from the North Alabama area. The love that Sylvia shared through foster care spanned over 35 years. Whether she was cooking supper for a daily household of more than 10, participating in youth mission tours with her church, or worshipping with her church family, she was always committed with a servant's heart.
A servant's heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. It's about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It's about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It's about showing Christ's love through your actions and words. Sylvia definitely embodied the true meaning of a "Servant's Heart."
She was preceded in death by Jonathan L. Matthews (son) 1963-1963 and J. Stephens Matthews (son) 1967-1967.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, John Raymond Matthews; two sons, Michael Matthews of Helena and Andy Matthews of Decatur; three daughters, Susan Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Karen Hennecy of Birmingham and Laura McKeller of Columbiana; one sister, Mary Sue Wilkerson of Moulton; seven grandchildren, Katherine Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina, Alivia Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Brooks McKeller and Kate McKeller, both of Columbiana, Aja Matthews of Helena, CJ Hennecy of Birmingham and Eli Matthews of Helena; and one great-grandchild, Johnluke Ira Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina.
Pallbearers will be Charlie Matthews, Kent Wilkerson, Chris Wilkerson, Jeff Green, Wiley McKeller and Brooks McKeller.
Honorary pallbearers will be Woody Fowler, CJ Hennecy, Eli Matthews and Johnluke Ira Goding.
Published in the Decatur Daily on February 18, 2016
Mrs. Matthews died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at Decatur Morgan Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1942, in Morgan County to Woodrow and Beatrice Chapman.
In her early professional career, Sylvia worked to support the needs of foster children while working for the department of Pensions and Security (currently DHR). She later moved into another chapter of her career with helping to support the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities at the Center for the Developmentally Disabled. All the while, she and her husband, John, were raising their own family of five kids while helping to care for and raise over 157 foster children from the North Alabama area. The love that Sylvia shared through foster care spanned over 35 years. Whether she was cooking supper for a daily household of more than 10, participating in youth mission tours with her church, or worshipping with her church family, she was always committed with a servant's heart.
A servant's heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. It's about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It's about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It's about showing Christ's love through your actions and words. Sylvia definitely embodied the true meaning of a "Servant's Heart."
She was preceded in death by Jonathan L. Matthews (son) 1963-1963 and J. Stephens Matthews (son) 1967-1967.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, John Raymond Matthews; two sons, Michael Matthews of Helena and Andy Matthews of Decatur; three daughters, Susan Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Karen Hennecy of Birmingham and Laura McKeller of Columbiana; one sister, Mary Sue Wilkerson of Moulton; seven grandchildren, Katherine Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina, Alivia Jones of Greenville, South Carolina, Brooks McKeller and Kate McKeller, both of Columbiana, Aja Matthews of Helena, CJ Hennecy of Birmingham and Eli Matthews of Helena; and one great-grandchild, Johnluke Ira Goding of Mauldin, South Carolina.
Pallbearers will be Charlie Matthews, Kent Wilkerson, Chris Wilkerson, Jeff Green, Wiley McKeller and Brooks McKeller.
Honorary pallbearers will be Woody Fowler, CJ Hennecy, Eli Matthews and Johnluke Ira Goding.
Published in the Decatur Daily on February 18, 2016
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