Kay or Kate, as she was known to so many, was the daughter of James Thomas Matthews and Catherine Mary (Dolly) Kenney, was christened Kathleen Elizabeth after her mother and paternal grandmother, Elizabeth.

Kay of Melbourne-Indialantic, FL was born on April 4, 1927 and joined her deeply missed son, Paul (12/ 20 /1983), who passed at the age of 28, and loving husband, George (02/ 20 /2015), of 62 years on September 20 , 2022. Kay's father died in 1933 when she was only 6 years old and her mother passed in 1983. Kay's only sibling, Tommy, died in 1978 when he was 53. She is survived by her children, David and his wife Marianne, Phillip and his wife Ramona, and Ellen Kyle; grandchildren, Thomas, Michael, Matthew, Katelyn and husband Garrett, Brandy; and her great-granddaughter Ashlyn.

Kay graduated from the Newark School of Fine Industrial Arts in 1945. At the time, it was set up as an experimental high school and was difficult to get into; they admitted only 60 students at the top 10% of their class from all over Newark, NJ. She along with other classmates would skip school and spend the day at the theater watching Frank Sanatra and other Big Bands of that era; they did it so frequently, they had a standard row of seats at the theater.

Kay wanted to be an Interior Decorator but because of the 2nd World War; she like many others, put their dreams on the back burner. Right out of high school, she worked at a bank, at first she was a teller then was sent to the main office and put in the bookkeeping department where she became head of the department and made a whopping $150 a month. (Incidentally, her cousin, Peg, noted that she applied for a job at Crucible Steel in Harrison and the man who interviewed her said she was too refined for the job.)

In addition to brains, Kay was also beautiful. When she had her graduation picture taken at the exclusive Augusta Burns Photography Studio, they asked permission to use her picture as a business ad in the Newark Evening Newspaper.  Her picture was also used in the studio window for years to promote business.  She never had an attitude about her beauty, but she had many suitors.

She met George Matthews at an NJIT frat party on a Saturday night.  Her friend Dot told her, "you have to meet this guy, he's so handsome, and he has the best speaking and singing voice I've ever heard!" Well, she did meet him and somehow after the party she and George wound up doing the dishes. Because of his studies, they would go out on Friday nights and then to a movie on Sunday afternoon.  She married George Matthews on January 17, 1953 in Saint John's Episcopal Church in Newark followed by a beautiful candlelight reception at the Four Hills Restaurant.

She moved in with George and his father in Westfield, NJ when they married, then bought a place of their own in Fanwood, and moved again into a fourteen-room house in Westfield, NJ where they raised their children. They had a summer home on the water in Toms River which they later moved into full time before retiring in Indialantic, FL.

Kay had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh, she was friendly, outgoing, very devoted to her family, and displayed kindness and generosity to all. She enjoyed slots and in her latter years played bingo almost every weekend and looked forward to socializing with everyone there. She is loved by the many lives she touched and will be very dearly missed.

Per Kay's wishes the family will gather for a celebration of life and a traditional service will not be held.