BARBARA ROSE MATHEWS

1939 - 2025

Barbara Rose Mathews went home to be with the Lord on September 12, 2025. She was born in Lodi, California on December 27, 1939, the third of four children born to Reuben and Ethel (Barfuss) Wiebe.
Barbara attended Lodi schools and graduated from Lodi High School in 1957. Barbara attended dental hygienist school in San Francisco and was a hygienist for Dr. Milton Bergantz in Lodi.
The love of her life was her son Kenneth, affectionately know as "Butchie". Later she met Larry Mathews and they were married at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Lodi on October 6, 1967. Barbara and Larry moved to Utah where Larry worked for the railroad. They later made their home in Campbell, California where Barbara worked for AchieveKids, a school that specializes in education services for children with emotional and behavioral issues. Helping special needs children was a passion of Barbara's.
Barbara and Larry lived in Campbell until Larry passed away in October, 2009. They were married for 42 years. Barbara's beloved Butchie passed away a year later in October, 2010. Barbara moved back to Lodi to be near her family: her older sister, Dorothy Nitschke, and her nieces and nephews. She moved into a care facility, Lodi Creek Post Acute Care, in 2018. Barbara easily made friends wherever she went and friends would visit or call and send letters and pictures to her. Even those at the care facility became close friends of Barbara and shared in her laughter and fun.
Barbara is survived by her nieces Vicki Taylor and Jenny Stevahn, and nephews Willys Nitschke, and Dan Nitschke. She is also survived by Katy Greenwalt of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, Kathleen Kalm of Reno, Nevada, and Stephen Lima of San Jose, California, her very close friends.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, November 22 at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel at First Baptist Church, 267 N. Mills Ave in Lodi, California. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given in Barbara's name to Achieve Kids at achieveKids.org