Alex Matthews, 84, a very long term Oak Parker, died peacefully on March 22 after a long term struggle with Dysphagia. Dysphagia is a fancy word for trouble swallowing.
Alex, her first husband Darrel Brown, her daughter Demaris and son Ross, moved from Portland, Oregon, her home town, to Oak Park in 1972. Alex was a stay-at-home mom who enjoyed making cookies and reading to her children at bed time, but she also took on a part time job as a stringer for Oak Leaves. Then, she and her husband adopted a three-year-old boy named Robin. All of the kids attended Oak Park public schools.
In 1979 Alex and her husband divorced. She determined a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature was not sufficient to support a family and enrolled in a Master of Social Work program at George Williams College. Upon graduation, Alex started a private practice in her Oak Park home. Thus began the first great passion of her life, counseling individuals and couples with relationship issues.
At a singles event at Unity Temple she met Allen Matthews, who became her husband after a five-year courtship. Life was going well for Alex. Her practice, her second marriage and her children were thriving. So, she launched a new adventure, which became her second passion. She became an author of mystery novels.
It took five long years of writing and rewriting and submitting manuscripts. Then, she made one small change – she changed the villain – and her manuscript became her first published book. Each of her ten mysteries, which are set in Oak Park, has a murder, a cat story and romance between her female protagonist and boyfriend. Alex thrived in this second great passion in her life while continuing her first passion, her practice of social work.
Alex is survived by her husband Allen Matthews, her daughter Demaris, granddaughters Astarte (Star) and Iola and son Robin and grandson, David.
Doug Hawley 