Nancy Mathis

Much Beloved Schoolteacher and Parent Resident of Richmond Nancy Lee Mathis, a retired school teacher from the Oakland Unified School District and a longtime resident of the El Cerrito/Richmond area, died Monday, November 10, 2008 at Kaiser Richmond at the age of 73 after a short illness. Nancy was born Nancy Lee Harris in Beaumont, Texas as the third child of Moye and Nellie Harris on January 30, 1935. She was a baby during the worst years of the depression, a time when her parents were so poor that they were unable to care for her. For her first four years she was raised in El Paso, Texas by her godmother, before being reunited with her mother and moving to Houston. As a teen, Nancy was a majorette at Phyllis Wheatley High School in Houston. Nancy overcame poverty by supporting herself through college. She graduated in 1957 with a B.A. from Texas Southern University, also in Houston. In 1960 she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she met and married a handsome, tall ex-Marine, Raymond Mathis, Jr. Raymond and Nancy married in 1962 and moved to a home on Fallon Street in Richmond, near the boundary with El Cerrito. Raymond, who also enjoyed a long career as a teacher in the Oakland schools, passed away in 1994. Nancy began teaching for the Oakland Unified School District starting in 1965. She continued working in Oakland elementary schools full time for 32 years, until 1997, including at Sobrante Park Elementary, Claussen Elementary, and Laurel Elementary. After retiring, she continued to working for OUSD as a substitute teacher up until 2008 and also for the Emery Unified School District. As a teacher she was most fond of working with kindergartners and first graders, using sign language, playing the guitar, and singing to encourage students to read and write. Nancy belonged to numerous organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was an active member in the Berkeley Alumni Chapter and worked on various programs and activities. She was also an active member of the NAACP and her local neighborhood council. She represented Texas Southern University as a member of the Bay Area Chapter of the Historically Black College and Universities. Nancy is survived by four children: Dori Riggs of Berkeley, Raymond Mathis III, of Richmond, Jack Mathis, of Fairfield, and Ruth Bissell, of Berkeley. She also has three grandchildren, Jordan Mathis, Payton Mathis, and Alexander Bissell; and a goddaughter, Andrea Scott. She is survived by her two siblings, Donald Harris of Las Vegas, Nevada and Lupe Vallery of Los Angeles, California. Her extended family includes numerous nieces and nephews, her step-grandchildren, Anne, Emily, and Joe Riggs; and an unbelievable amount of friends-some of these friendships having lasted over 50 years. A memorial service will be held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 555 37th Street, Richmond, at 11am on Saturday, November 22. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in the name of Nancy Mathis to the American Cancer Society or the United Negro College Fund.