Barbara C. Matson

Barbara Matson, age 79, passed away Friday, April 5, 2019. Memorial Services will be held Friday, April 12, 2019, 10:00 a.m., at FRENCH – Wyoming. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Project Linus.

In Loving Memory of Barbara C. Matson - These are some of the memories as recalled by her surviving children:

Daughter Rebecca’s memories:

Mom is the reason I love plants today. She didn’t care so much for the animals at the zoo or the dinosaurs at the museum but she would tell us about that Variegated Hosta & how beautiful it was. I would roll my eyes at that time of childhood unappreciativeness but realized later what amazing knowledge it was. Mom was an amazing dresser. She would get ready for work & I’d think, mom is so cool & beautiful. Even at a young age I knew how beautiful mom was. She outshined all my friends’ moms. I wish I could be half as stylish. Mom made us breakfast on Sundays & dinner every night. I hated it then. I swore I would never do that. She is the reason I cook my family meals & make them get together with each other to eat... I guess because I remember that to be happy times with my brother & sisters & our parents (other than the time Steph & colleen dove over the table & dad had to break them up or all the times they said that I chewed loud & my elbows were in the way. Lol!) Through all of that, mom let us be as kids. She let us work that out. I realized later that was beautiful parenting. Because of her I often stepped aside & let my kids work it out. Mom made us to be self-sufficient. I came home after being hit by a car on my bike, bloodied & crying, & mom said, omg, I’m out of band aids. Sit here. (On that ugly couch in the family room) & I’ll be back! Lol! I am a strong woman today because of those examples. Take care of business. Get it done. I am the mountain woman, hiker, camper, & rock climber I am today not only because of Dad, but without mom putting away her severe fear of heights, dad would never have gotten to show us that or played in the mountains himself. Because of that, I also know how much give & take it takes to honor a marriage.

Daughter Steph memories:

I remember as a little girl mom always being there for us. She took such good care and was a very loving mom. When I was in elementary school she always did my hair - always in ponytails or braids. Mom was also an amazing cook. If I would ask her for the recipe and how much of this, how much of that, she would always say, ‘oh Stephanie, I don’t measure’. Lol Then it was going grocery shopping with her, well I went everywhere with her. She always knew I wouldn’t stray because I was always straightening things right by her side. All through the year’s mom was always there come good or bad. I was truly blessed the day my mom took me to ‘Bag and Save’ where my husband to be asked my mom if he could get my number. Although I had never dated before, my mom said “yes”.  I will be eternally grateful for her yes. Mom, I truly deeply love you and miss you. Love Stephanie

Daughter Colleen memories:

I love how mom literally documented our lives. Details of where we went, what we did, when it was, how much it cost. We know the details about ourselves from how much we weighed to when we lost our first tooth, to emergency room visits, to pets we loved and lost. For whatever reason she felt it important to document it all and she did it with every one of us. Not just the first child, dwindling off with the last child as most parents would do. She documented each of our identities. Who we were as children so that we would always know. I love that mom was structured and gave us limits and boundaries while still providing us the freedom and opportunity to explore and to experience life. I love how mom was an amazing seamstress. And that she taught me how to sew. When I was in junior high I hated that she made my clothes when I wanted to wear designer brands like the other kids. But as an adult I always wished I could sew my own clothes like mom did. I learned to appreciate that through moms sewing I got to wear clothes that no one else had. I love that we did things such as camping as a family when we were growing up. It wasn’t mom’s favorite thing but she was always there with us. Even if she was waiting in the car ������ we would be driving on the edge of a deadly drop off and mom with white knuckles would still manage to say “oh look at that beautiful flower over there.” And usually name it. I can remember we would be walking in the middle of rivers hunting for fish or anything that moved, and there was mom off to the side pointing out plants. Mom was my safety net through early adulthood. I knew I could call, and she would be there to talk to. Even though I didn’t always feel validated, I knew she was there. And it made everything alright. We were fortunate as children to grow up with a mom that was always by our sides. She was right there when we were sick or injured. She provided the most critical and important responsibility of any parent: safety. Above anything else, mom kept me safe and made me feel safe. I always refer to her as my “Jewish Italian New Yorker momma.” It would make me laugh because people immediately knew that mom and I would be 2 feet from each other talking as if we were in another room from each other. Lol I attribute the responsible, hardworking, self-sufficient, non-entitled, successful career person I am today to my parents, my mom.

Son Mark’s memories:

Mom, mother, guide, teacher, mediator (Colleen jumping on Marks head in pool and somehow I gave her hugs after coming home from getting stitches, she kept us siblings going through life without grudges between one another), child rearing pro ( she kept us clean, on time, out of trouble, out of the doctor’s office, the dentist, the hospital as much as possible until we got old enough to do our own damage playing in the neighborhood...), friend (she loved many and the one I heard of the most was her Einstein crowd!), lover and restrictor (to my wonderful father, he did eat butter on top of butter and bacon on top of bacon to the dismay of mom, whereby she restricted all of us to do things in moderation but us kids always tried to sneak another cookie), dietary authority ( she made us eat our Lima beans and Brussels sprouts and she was NOT the dinner bell. We all knew when the streets lights came on we better get home or late for dinner it was straight to our rooms or bed), craftswoman extraordinaire ( she made our clothes, embroidered, knitted warm blankets for the family, I wore bright green jeans with embroidered flies on my butt pockets to go to the skating rink, no one bullied, hassled or made fun of our clothes and I wore them proudly because for me it was all about my converse and puma tennis shoes, the only brand thing I can remember I got...and we really didn’t care about that ), The Anchor: mom had quite a honey-do-list for my dad but I think my pops had his own however she kept him to task usually.  I think my father used to moonlight in his own shop in the back, kind of stealth like.  Mom anchored us all for good reason, however we all would color outside the lines, even so much that my sister took her crayons to the back wall of my parent pure white stucco house.  I’m pretty sure I paid the price too with guilty by association. Certainly nothing is perfect in our eyes, and nobody is or we all wouldn’t be here on God’s green earth, but she tried so hard to be that “perfect” one for all her family and friends.

In this memorial closing, my mother, our mom, Dad’s wife, grand & great grandmother and friend, was our Lady Justice, because she was always and forever will be with us and be for JUST US!

From 2015 -

Mom eats healthy all her life.  Never ever consumed alcohol or any "bad" food, exercised every day, very limber, very active, took all supplements suggested by her doctor, never went in the sun without sunscreen and when she did it was for as short a period as possible- so pretty much she protected her health with the utmost that anyone could.  She is now 76 and has skin cancer, bone marrow cancer and extreme osteoporosis. My father eats bacon on top of bacon, butter on top of butter, fat on top of fat, never and I mean never exercised, was out in the sun burnt to a crisp every summer, he basically took the approach to live life to his fullest and not as others suggest.  He is 81 and the docs says his health is that of a young person. People you cannot hide from your poison. It's out there and it will find you so in the words of my still living mother: "if I would have known my life would end this way I would have lived it more to the fullest enjoying everything I was told not to!"