Adeline Matthews

Yorktown, Va. – Adeline Matthews, 87, passed away, while at home at Harmony on the Peninsula Assisted Living community, the morning of Feb. 9th, following a yearlong decline in health.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 56 years, William “Bill” Matthews, and their son Jim, also of Yorktown. She is also survived by her niece Cathy Matthews Dudak and grand niece Stephanie Dudak, both of Newport News and other friends and relatives, many of whom live in Boston, MA. Adeline was a resident of Yorktown since 1993, when Bill was transferred to the civilian army research group at NASA Langley. Adeline grew up an Irish Catholic in Boston and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College. A devout Catholic, her deep faith was an integral part of her daily life, and she even considered becoming a nun but decided against it, only due to the required vow of strict obedience. She then waited to get married until she found the “right man.” She always said her husband Bill was the kindest man she ever knew and no other would do. Adeline loved children and was a school teacher in Boston for 17 years, where she taught the 1st grade. She always said 1st grade was the most important year in school for a child’s development and she wanted to help set the foundation for kids just learning to read. She left teaching to raise her son Jim, so she wouldn’t miss any moment of his childhood. She always went out of her way to be kind to the people she met, to help those in need and to make life better for people. The funeral will be held at 11am on Thursday, Feb 16th at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in Yorktown, followed by a 1pm graveside service at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Norfolk.