Helen Louise Mathis

Mrs. Helen Louise Mathis (Lee) died peacefully in her home on January 15, 2019 in Virginia Beach, VA surrounded by family and close friends, at the age of 85. Louise was born on December 3, 1933 to Isham Mack Lee and Mattie Coates. She spent her childhood in North Carolina where she met and soon married Lester Gray Mathis, Sr., the love of her life, on November 22, 1958. After moving to Virginia Beach, the couple welcomed four children into their home and Louise set about teaching them that family is everything and they should always be able to count on each other. Her children remember her as a hard worker, working in their school cafeterias at Aragona Elementary School and Princess Anne High School, and being the favorite “lunch lady” of all their friends, and later, and for many more years, at S&W Cafeteria as a baker and server. Louise was an accomplished gardener and loved to share her fresh vegetables and love of gardening with her grandchildren. She was a generous individual who loved to cook and was passionate about educating everyone on the difference between a squash blossom and a weed, when a mater is ripe for picking, and the correct way to snap a bean. Louise is survived by her children, Charles “Jasper” Lee, Debora Merrill, Lester Mathis, Jr., Patricia Hendrix (Tim), Theresa Thornton; one sister, Ruth Spisak; twelve grandchildren; nineteen great-grandchildren; two great great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews she held dear to her heart. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Lester Gray Mathis, Sr.; her parents, Isham Mack Lee and Mattie Coates; and twelve siblings. The family would like to thank her devoted caregiver Kim Miller for her years of love and dedication as well as the Hospice workers for their care and support. A funeral is scheduled for Friday, January 18, 2019 at 10:30 in the morning, at Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens. Following the service, the family would like to invite you to join them for a reception, in remembrance of Louise, at Theresa’s home, at 32 Magnolia Street, VA Beach, VA 23462, inside County View Mobile Home Park.