Liz Matthews was Our Gal in The Parkes Phoenix in 2019.
It is a sad bridge column this week as we bid our farewell to club member Liz Matthews who lost her fight against bone cancer last Thursday with all three well loved sisters, Susie, Candy and Maryanne spending much valuable time by her side.
Lizzie loved life. She was a bird lover, an animal lover, a people lover, a traveller and a great reader. Her knowledge of all things was amazing. And she took great enjoyment in encouraging others to build their knowledge and develop their particular interests. She was an actress, a singer, a reader of poetry and a language teacher of French and Japanese. She taught many hundreds of Parkes students. Lizzie enjoyed golf and bridge. She was a life member of the Parkes M&D and of the Air Tourers’ Club. She was a financial founder of the Parkes Dragon Boat Club and ‘God-mother of the Dragon Boat’ which is named The Lizzie in her honour.
She was a supporter and a volunteer of many causes with a love of the local community, always with her finger on the pulse of what was happening in the town. She was full of spirit and determination but she was also sensitive and caring. She always gave great advice and she had a way of correcting mistakes, spoken or written, on any topic under the sun. She also had an enormous admiration for anyone who could in turn correct her. Those people were very, very rare indeed. Her circle of friends was wide and she was loved by many and respected by many more. Her life was full and one of her favourite songs was Edith Piaf’s Rien de Rien – There is Nothing I Regret.
Lizzie left us too soon, with so much more to give.
Vale Elizabeth Matthews
By Beth Thomas