Lisa Dawn Matthews

Sweet, sweet Lisa Dawn Matthews, 60 years old, of Goose Creek, passed away after a very hard-fought battle with Alzheimer’s on April 16, 2026, while holding her sister close at Lake Moultrie Nursing Facility and Rehab.

Lisa was born in North Charleston at Trident Hospital to Raymond and Cora Matthews. She attended Goose Creek High School.

Lisa was blessed with Down syndrome and showed all the best qualities that Down syndrome children do…like love, affection, and being very social. The best quality of all was that she loved like Jesus. She was absolutely the best role model for that and taught me, her sister, Joyce, how to do that. For her, it was all natural. What a gift God gave her.

She was a very active and busy little girl throughout her life, working at Pizza Hut in Goose Creek for 34 years and bowling on a team at Royal Z for 34 years. She even bowled a 192 on one of her games, but her average was 120. When she was younger, she was heavily involved in Special Olympics, winning numerous medals and ribbons. She did enjoy winning, but it was more important to stop and help others in the race if they fell. That was just how she was…so thoughtful and considerate. She was also the Berkeley County Special Education Student of the Year. She volunteered at Agape Hospice for numerous years and at the Lowcountry Hospice House on Myers Road. She was selected as the state Volunteer of the Year for South Carolina.

My parents and teachers trained her well and loved her dearly. They taught her good manners, how to talk with people, and Lisa surely demonstrated that. So many people could remember her because of the way she presented herself. Once you got one of her hugs, you probably never forgot her.

She helped care for her mother, who also had Alzheimer’s, until her passing. Sadly, I began seeing the signs of that horrible disease slipping into Lisa. It was a heartbreaker because it robbed her of almost everything but her love and happiness. She was truly a very happy child, inside and out.

She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Wayne and Larry Matthews.

She is survived by her brothers, Dale and Steve Matthews, and her favorite sister, Joyce Runion. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Lisa’s Family will receive visitors from 4:00-6:00 pm, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at Carolina Memorial Funeral Home, 7113 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at Deer Park Baptist Church, 8875 University Blvd, North Charleston, SC 29406. Burial will immediately follow at Carolina Memorial Gardens, 7113 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406.

In honor of Lisa, her family has asked that those who attend wear her favorite color- pink!

Memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. Our family would like to thank the many caregivers at Lake Moultrie who gave her such loving care and made sure she was safe, clean, and well fed.

Arrangements entrusted to Carolina Memorial Funeral Home, 7113 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406.