Elizabeth Mathewson

Elizabeth “Sandy” Mathewson, age 100, passed away peacefully and surrounded by love on April 15, 2020. Sandy was born on June 8, 1919, in Cleveland, Ohio to George and Veronica Nagy of Hungary. She married the late John Joseph Mathewson on August 31, 1940 in Wilmington, Delaware and the couple was blessed with three daughters. After raising their family in Wilmington, they retired to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in 1977. Sandy moved to Kenmore, Washington in 1997 and lived out her years among family and friends in the Seattle area.

Sandy was an accomplished artist. Working primarily in watercolors and oil paints, her works have been displayed at the Delaware Art Museum and Tsuga Fine Art in Bothell, Washington. Her commissioned mural depicting the progression of agriculture in Delaware still hangs in the State Capital Building in Dover, as well as a mural painted for the First Church of Christ Scientists in Wilmington. Sandy illustrated many books and recently published a book featuring her own original artwork and poetry called, Silver Threads, published by Third Place Books. She was also won the 1976 Delaware Chicken Cooking Contest and in the same year moved on to regionals where she won the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) regional Championship in the National Chicken Cooking Contest. Taking up a new art medium later in life, Sandy was an active member of the Northwest Driftwood Artists in Bothell, Washington and her works have been shown at the Northshore Fine Arts show and the Northwest Driftwood Artist Show from which she received many awards. She also enjoyed teaching and passing on her love of art and beauty.

Sandy is survived by her daughters JoAnn Bailey of CharlesTown, WV with one granddaughter (Martha (Edward) Shields of Germantown, MD) and 2 great-granddaughters (Brigit and Alaina Shields); Alice Shuler of Kenmore, WA with one grandson (David Shuler of Edmonds, WA); and Diane (Richard) Sultani of Salina, KS with 2 granddaughters (Katherine (Jon) Sultani-Wright of Seattle, WA, and Amanda (Robert) Sultani-Black of Silver Spring, MD) and 5 great-grandchildren (Victoria, Sydney, and William Wright; and Elliott and Genevieve Black); as well as a number of dear nieces and nephews from across the country. She is predeceased by her parents, her beloved husband John, her brother Andrew Nagy, her sister Helen Duffy, and her son-in-law James Bailey.

A celebration of her life will take place in the near future.