Sylvia Sue Mathews

Sylvia Sue Mathews, born Sylvia Sue Shaffer on February 16, 1940, in Auburn, Washington, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2025, in Vancouver, Washington. The youngest daughter of Harvey and Phyllis (Crabill) Shaffer, she grew up in Enumclaw with her sisters Dixie and Sharon, graduating from Enumclaw High School in 1958. Her family shared many joyful days on the Puget Sound aboard their boat, the Martiann. After attending Western Washington University in Bellingham for a year, Sylvia worked for Kenworth Motor Company in Kent. A blind date arranged by friends led her to Richard (Dick) Mathews of Eugene, Oregon. They corresponded by letter until she moved to Eugene to be closer to him, eventually marrying and beginning their life together.

The couple first lived in Boise, Idaho, where their daughter Stacy was born, before moving to Kent, Washington, where their son Richard (Rich) Jr. arrived. In 1974 they settled in Vancouver, Washington. Once her children were in school, Sylvia returned to work for the Vancouver School District, where she spent more than twenty years nurturing children and earned Staff Assistant of the Year honors in 1991. She retired in 2000. Sylvia found great pleasure in the outdoors and her flower gardens. She was known for her exceptional pumpkin bread, potato salad, rusty baked beans, and Syl’s Dills. Family life revolved around sports, camping, fishing, and hunting. After retirement, she and Dick cherished traveling to visit loved ones.

Sylvia is survived by her daughter Stacy Walters and Stacy’s children Nathan and Allison; her son Rich and his wife Lisa, along with their children Kimberly Leiva (Guillermo) and their daughters Alison and Eleanor, Stephanie Pruce (Tyler) and their children Fionn and Margaux, and Rory Banim (Nina); her brother-in-law Ralph Mathews (Ida); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Richard Mathews, in 2016, as well as her parents, both sisters, and several other dear family members.