Tamara Mathews

Calling hours Friday, July 2, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at White's Funeral Home Chapel. Private family service at 2:00 p.m. Interment Knollwood Cemetery, 1678 Som Center Rd, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124.

Tamara Diane (Woodlin) Mathews was born, the first of three daughters, in Columbus, Ohio, on September 12, 1946 at Mercy Hospital to Burdell “Woody” Woodlin and Mabel Clair (Sheppard) Woodlin.

She is preceded in death by her mother and father and her grandparents, Wilbur Sheppard and Lena Sheppard. All were lifetime members of Centenary United Methodist Church of Columbus, Ohio.

Tamara was joined in marriage to William Velmen Mathews (Bill) on February 8, 1969 at Centenary UMC and were blessed with 52 years of marriage and two daughters, Kistyn Mathews (LaTania Cox) and Kenya (Mathews) Hairston (Christopher) and one grandson, Skyler Michael Mateo Nicholson.

Tamara graduated from Linden-McKinley High School, where she played the violin for the Columbus Symphony. She also attended The Ohio State University where she met her husband, Bill. Tamara received her Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Franklin University.

Tamara accompanied her husband, Bill, to Port Hueneme, California (Camarillo) for four years of active duty in the U.S. Navy and then to St. Louis, Missouri (Florissant).

Tamara was passionate about working with children and she worked as a teacher’s assistant at Townsend Elementary School, in Florissant. Later the family relocated to Dayton, Ohio for 10 years where Tamara worked as a daycare teacher and youth leader at Philips Temple CME Church. A work relocation brought the family back to Columbus and Tamara continued her work with young people until she retired from St. Stephen’s Community Center as a pre-school teacher.

As a lifelong member of Centenary UMC, Tamara served in the liturgical arts ministry and in the sanctuary choir in the soprano section.

On June 26, 2021 Tamara was called home to be with the Lord. She is survived by her husband, Bill, her daughters, Kistyn (LaTania) and Kenya (Christopher) and her grandson, Skyler, siblings, Teresa (Woodlin) Holmes (Wesley) and Carla (Woodlin) Jackson (Henry) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

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