Amelia Matthews

Amelia was born December 10, 1930 in Raleigh, North Carolina to DeVan and Elizabeth

(Faucette) Barbour. She had an older brother, DeVan, Jr. Amelia was named for her maternal

grandmother, Amelia Taylor Faucette. Until she reached high school age, she was known as

Amelia Ann.

Amelia’s father, DeVan Sr. was married to Elizabeth at the Faucette home in 1921. Elizabeth

worked for the state health department and DeVan sold shoes. They helped Amelia’s

grandmother operate a boarding house in Raleigh, and lived there for a time. It was in that

boarding house that Amelia’s earliest memories began.

Growing up in the south, Amelia and her brother were cared for by a nurse, named Martha

Rogers, whom they grew to love dearly. In first grade Amelia began taking piano lessons from a

neighbor. She had terrible shyness, but somehow continued to perform in piano recitals as

required. She attended high school at Needham B. Broughton High School, which was just a

few blocks from their home. Her parents were always faithful members of the First Baptist

Church, where the whole family attended regularly.

Amelia’s personal history tells of the change from ice boxes to electric refrigerators, getting an

automatic clothes washer and having a coal furnace in their home. Her grandmother, Amelia

Taylor Faucette, who was born in England, lived with them toward the end of her life. In the

1930's her father, DeVan, became an insurance agent, owning what became the largest

Northwestern Mutual Insurance agency in the state. Her mother left the health department to be

his secretary and bookkeeper. Upon her father’s retirement, Amelia’s brother, DeVan Jr. took

over the business.

In the spring of 1947 when Amelia was 16 years old, a friend invited her to attend a rush party at

one of the fraternities at North Carolina State College. It was there she met Don Matthews. He

walked her home after the picnic and they dated a few times before he went back home to

Rockville Centre, New York. He returned to school in North Carolina in the fall and they began

dating again. Don had transferred to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Amelia

had graduated from high school early, so she attended Women’s College in Greensboro. The

relationship grew and in October 1950 they were married at the First Baptist Church in Raleigh.

After marriage Don and Amelia first moved to Fort Worth, Texas, then again to Denver,

Colorado. He had come to love Colorado when he was there for training as a member of the 10th

Mountain Division in World War II. They loved spending time in the mountains, hiking,

camping, and skiing in the winter. Their two children, Robert and Dorothy, were both born

while they lived in Denver. A few years later the family was off to Florida for Don’s

employment, and it was at that time that Don and Amelia began to investigate the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were baptized into the Church, as members of the West

Palm Beach Ward, probably the most monumental change of their lives. Every decision from

that point on centered around their faith in their religion. They moved back to the Denver area

and ended up in Steamboat Springs, enjoying the peaceful little ski town that was just beginning

to grow.

But there was one more move to come. After breaking ground on a new home, Don and Amelia

suddenly made the decision to move to Provo, Utah. With the kids at an age where they were

becoming more independent, Amelia began working at BYU, first for the BYU Press, then the

College of Agriculture, next for 19 years as executive secretary to Ron Hyde, a Vice President,

and finally as Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Guest Relations. She enjoyed 26 years of

employment at BYU until she finally retired. Over the years Don and Amelia lived in Provo,

Springville and finally in Orem. She was an active member of the LDS Church, serving in many

callings including Relief Society President, Stake Primary Presidency, Stake Relief Society

boards, and numerous callings as ward organist. Her love of music and choral singing was

passed on to both of her children and grandchildren.

Amelia was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and United Daughters of the

Confederacy. She enjoyed genealogy and did substantial amounts of research on Don’s and her

own lines. She traced her lineage back to some of the earliest settlers in the Jamestown Colony

in Virginia.

Amelia was preceded in death by her parents and brother. She is survived by her husband,

Donald, son Robert, daughter Dorothy Waterreus (Jeroen), and granddaughters Jana and Jessie.

She is buried at the Orem Cemetery. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends contribute to

the LDS Church’s Humanitarian Fund, in accordance with the Church’s relief effort, “I Was a

Stranger”.