Lenora Matthews

Lenora Matthews was born February 16, 1921 to James and Dottie Loftin in Witts Springs, Arkansas.  She went home to be with the Lord and lots of loved ones on Friday, November 6, 2020 in Mesa, Arizona.  She is survived by her daughters, Alice and Tina; sons, Winston, Ronnie, and Robert; her grandchildren, Sheilah, Candy, Victor, Valerie, Andrew, Joshua, Layne, Kurt, Gary, Jonathan and Jaime; her brother, Herbert; and sisters, Janice, Sharon, and Mary; and many great-grand and great-great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Dottie; husband, Winston Carlyle; sons, Donald Eugene, and Winston Gene; brothers, Carl, Clyde, Jerry, and LaDon; sisters, Nellie, Zelta, Priscilla, Lillian, and Donnie; and grandchildren, Dennis and Nicole.

Lenora was the oldest of 14 children.  She was like the "2nd mom" to many of them.  She started cooking when she was 4 years old.  This was on a wood stove and she had to stand on an apple box to be able to see over the top of the stove.  She had to do laundry by using the washboard/scrub board.  She learned a lot of tricks from her mother in how to make food stretch to feed all of them during the depression.  She had to learn how to use the horse to help plow the fields and do the planting. She worked with her father in the bolt woods to cut timber to sell.

Her dad conducted singing groups in Arkansas.  Lenora was a great singer.  It was during one of the singings that she met her husband Winston Carlyle.  He often told the family and friends that it was her beautiful singing voice that first attracted him to her.  They were married January 5, 1936.  He was 18 and she was 14 (almost 15).  They began their life together with little money, few possessions, but lots of love. Throughout their long and happy marriage, they provided for their family and taught their children, by example, the value of hard work.   They were married for 77 years before he passed away.  They are now reunited in Heaven.

In November of 1936 they moved to Chandler, Arizona to live with his grandparents who helped settle Chandler.  They ended up moving to Winslow, Arizona where she worked as a domestic goddess.  They had Alice, Winston Gene (who passed away shortly after birth), and Gene there.  They moved to Casa Grande in 1941 where their son, Wimp, was born.  Later in 1941, they moved to Nevada.  Their son, Ronnie, was born there in 1943.   

They decided to to move back to Arizona to farm cotton.  During this time, their house was always open to anyone in need.  The often had their brothers and sisters living with them.  They raised their children, helped raise some of their siblings, adopted two children and helped raise some of their grandchildren.  In the 1970s they, with the help of their daughter Alice, took in foster children. They treated these children as their own.  The family took many fun trips with as many as 9 children at a time. 

Lenora and her family worked picking cotton and fruit to make a living.  She later started working at Southside Hospital in Mesa, Arizona as the head housekeeper.  When they closed that hospital to open up Desert Samaritan in Mesa, she transferred there as the head housekeeper.  She worked there for many years before transferring to be head housekeeper at Friendship Village.  In 1982 she moved to the mountains and helped open the Best Western Inn located in Pinetop.  She was in charge of housekeeping there and did some work at the front desk.  She left them and started taking in mending from E & E Linen.  During that time she also worked in the family garden and canned many yummy vegetables that were grown.

She was known for her homemade biscuits.  They were so good.  It was an extra special treat when she made chocolate gravy to go over the biscuits.  She was also known for her potato salad.  Her grandson Layne loved it and bragged on it every time he had it.  When she knew he was coming to visit she would make it for him.  She always had visitors.

How do you summarize 99 years of life?  You can't.  We each have our own memories, that will live on.  Lenora Matthews leaves a legacy of love and life's lessons.  She loved her family and friends very much.  She loved her church family too.  Her love of the Lord helped guide her life.  In the last year or so she wondered "Why doesn't the Lord take me home?"  I guess he was finally ready for her on the evening of Friday, November 6, 2020.  We can only imagine the reunion had with all of her loved ones and the Lord up in Heaven.  It will be a blessed reunion when we see her someday in Heaven. 

Services were held on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at Blue Ridge Christian Center in Lakeside.  She was buried at Lakeside Cemetery alongside her beloved husband.