In Memory of
Priscilla
Matthews
Matthews
1930 - 2017
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Strong-Hancock Funeral Home
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Obituary for Priscilla Matthews
Priscilla P. Matthews, 87, beloved wife of the late Edward C. Matthews, passed away May 17 at her home in Nobleboro with her two daughters by her side. She was diagnosed with cancer a little over a year ago, but was living a full and active life until recently.
Priscilla was born on February 21, 1930 in Providence, Rhode Island, to Frances C. Nickerson and Fred R. Hayes. She remembered with delight her early childhood years with her mother and great aunts in a large rambling house on outer Congress Street in Portland. As an older child she lived in Cape Cottage Woods in Cape Elizabeth with her mother and adoptive father, Joseph D. Gay, and sister Judy. She attended Waynflete School and Bradford College. In high school she was involved in the Children's Theater of Maine, which she greatly enjoyed. She was known to call forth a touch of the dramatic throughout her life.
In 1951 she married William B. Kirkpatrick. They had three children, Martha, Alice and Timothy, and lived in the west end in Portland.
From 1974 until Ed's death in 2011, Priscilla was married to Dr. Edward C. Matthews. In their 37 years of married life they enjoyed a deep love and lively partnership. After Ed's retirement they designed their dream home in Nobleboro. Their new home was an easy drive to Little Island in Christmas Cove, where they spent every summer. Priscilla became involved in Round Top Center for the Arts in Damariscotta, where she served on the Board of Directors, including a term as president. Round Top brought them a community of friends and artists, which very much enriched their lives.
In the past decade, she greatly enjoyed her Wednesday lunches with her "champagne ladies," a small group of artist friends who gather weekly for lunch that always includes champagne, chocolate and conversation about art. While she was the last to admit it, she was a gifted painter.
Creativity and curiosity marked Priscilla's many passions and engagements. She was an artist and a lover of beauty in whatever she undertook, whether it was time spent tending her lovely gardens overlooking Christmas Cove, or painting, or in the kitchen. For Priscilla, food was a celebration of life, and she was known to be up for a picnic in any weather.
One of Priscilla's greatest joys was reading. She had a wide ranging intellectual curiosity that covered a lot of subjects, which was reflected in her extensive library. A lover of words, during many an evening meal she would slip one in that led a skeptical family member to head for the Random House Dictionary. She was seldom wrong.
She was a woman of warmth and grace, with a lively spiritedness and candor, a quick sense of humor and a beautiful, ready laugh.
She took great pride and delight in her daughters, and they in her. Their mother/daughter relationships grew and deepened over the decades. She taught them her love of books, gardening, fine food, and art, which were the focus of many happy times together, always with lively conversation and laughter. Her wisdom and insights, and her strength, were much admired by her daughters.
In addition to her husband Ed, Priscilla was predeceased by her son Timothy Kirkpatrick and her sister Judith G. Graham.
Priscilla leaves behind many people who miss her greatly: her daughters, the Rev. Martha G. Kirkpatrick of Wilmington, Delaware, and Alice Kirkpatrick and son-in-law Richard Connelly of Pownal; her stepchildren, Anne (and Peter) Sowles of Cumberland, Meredith Matthews (and Larry Baker) of Farmington, New Mexico, and Meyric Matthews of Lincolnville; six step-grandchildren, Lindsey Sowles, Payson Sowles, Bryden Baker, Gwen Matthews, Will Connelly, and Ian Connelly; her cousin, Kimball Nickerson; her brother-in-law George M. Graham Jr., her nephews, Andrew Graham and Dr. George Graham, to whom she was a much beloved aunt, and nephew Bradford Kirkpatrick and niece Marjorie Sargent. In addition, she leaves Bonnie Bean of Lincoln, Maine, long-time loving caregiver of Timothy.
Priscilla's family is deeply grateful for the skilled and compassionate care she received from the caregivers at Miles Hospital, and Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice.
A private celebration of Priscilla's life will be held in early summer. If friends so desire, a tribute gift may be made in memory of Priscilla to The Good Shepherd Food Bank, PO Box 1807, Auburn ME 04211-1807 (or at gsfb.org;) or to Preble Street, Development Dept, 38 Preble Street, Portland ME 04101 (or at preblestreet.org).
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main Street, Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting: www.StrongHancock.com.
Priscilla was born on February 21, 1930 in Providence, Rhode Island, to Frances C. Nickerson and Fred R. Hayes. She remembered with delight her early childhood years with her mother and great aunts in a large rambling house on outer Congress Street in Portland. As an older child she lived in Cape Cottage Woods in Cape Elizabeth with her mother and adoptive father, Joseph D. Gay, and sister Judy. She attended Waynflete School and Bradford College. In high school she was involved in the Children's Theater of Maine, which she greatly enjoyed. She was known to call forth a touch of the dramatic throughout her life.
In 1951 she married William B. Kirkpatrick. They had three children, Martha, Alice and Timothy, and lived in the west end in Portland.
From 1974 until Ed's death in 2011, Priscilla was married to Dr. Edward C. Matthews. In their 37 years of married life they enjoyed a deep love and lively partnership. After Ed's retirement they designed their dream home in Nobleboro. Their new home was an easy drive to Little Island in Christmas Cove, where they spent every summer. Priscilla became involved in Round Top Center for the Arts in Damariscotta, where she served on the Board of Directors, including a term as president. Round Top brought them a community of friends and artists, which very much enriched their lives.
In the past decade, she greatly enjoyed her Wednesday lunches with her "champagne ladies," a small group of artist friends who gather weekly for lunch that always includes champagne, chocolate and conversation about art. While she was the last to admit it, she was a gifted painter.
Creativity and curiosity marked Priscilla's many passions and engagements. She was an artist and a lover of beauty in whatever she undertook, whether it was time spent tending her lovely gardens overlooking Christmas Cove, or painting, or in the kitchen. For Priscilla, food was a celebration of life, and she was known to be up for a picnic in any weather.
One of Priscilla's greatest joys was reading. She had a wide ranging intellectual curiosity that covered a lot of subjects, which was reflected in her extensive library. A lover of words, during many an evening meal she would slip one in that led a skeptical family member to head for the Random House Dictionary. She was seldom wrong.
She was a woman of warmth and grace, with a lively spiritedness and candor, a quick sense of humor and a beautiful, ready laugh.
She took great pride and delight in her daughters, and they in her. Their mother/daughter relationships grew and deepened over the decades. She taught them her love of books, gardening, fine food, and art, which were the focus of many happy times together, always with lively conversation and laughter. Her wisdom and insights, and her strength, were much admired by her daughters.
In addition to her husband Ed, Priscilla was predeceased by her son Timothy Kirkpatrick and her sister Judith G. Graham.
Priscilla leaves behind many people who miss her greatly: her daughters, the Rev. Martha G. Kirkpatrick of Wilmington, Delaware, and Alice Kirkpatrick and son-in-law Richard Connelly of Pownal; her stepchildren, Anne (and Peter) Sowles of Cumberland, Meredith Matthews (and Larry Baker) of Farmington, New Mexico, and Meyric Matthews of Lincolnville; six step-grandchildren, Lindsey Sowles, Payson Sowles, Bryden Baker, Gwen Matthews, Will Connelly, and Ian Connelly; her cousin, Kimball Nickerson; her brother-in-law George M. Graham Jr., her nephews, Andrew Graham and Dr. George Graham, to whom she was a much beloved aunt, and nephew Bradford Kirkpatrick and niece Marjorie Sargent. In addition, she leaves Bonnie Bean of Lincoln, Maine, long-time loving caregiver of Timothy.
Priscilla's family is deeply grateful for the skilled and compassionate care she received from the caregivers at Miles Hospital, and Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice.
A private celebration of Priscilla's life will be held in early summer. If friends so desire, a tribute gift may be made in memory of Priscilla to The Good Shepherd Food Bank, PO Box 1807, Auburn ME 04211-1807 (or at gsfb.org;) or to Preble Street, Development Dept, 38 Preble Street, Portland ME 04101 (or at preblestreet.org).
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main Street, Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting: www.StrongHancock.com.
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