Mrs. Lenore Marquerite Mathews

Lenore Marguerite Mathews was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 18, 1929. She was the eldest of three children born to the union of the late Leroy Simmons and Annie Brown Clark Simmons. She was the paternal granddaughter of the late Walter and Ella Simmons. Lenore accepted Christ at an early age and was a lifelong member of St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church for more than 50 years. She served under twelve Pastors and was a charter member of the Membership and Evangelism Commission and Anvil Club ministries. Additionally, Lenore served her church as a member of the Class Leaders, the Missionary Society for 25 years, the 105th Anniversary Committee since 1974, the Wednesday Morning Bible Study Group, the Historical Society and she was the Trustee Emeritus of Seniors On The Move. Lenore was united in holy matrimony with Mr. Clifton D. Mathews of Bluefield, West Virginia and together they raised their five daughters, Marilyn, Karen, Noreen, Kathleen and Phyllis. Lenore affectionately called Norrie by her family and close friends, grew up in the Walnut Street Community. She was a charter member of the Walnut Street Group and was actively involved in her community. She received her early education at Ninth Street and Roosevelt Junior High Schools. She graduated from Lincoln High School in January 1947 and was a very proud Lincoln Comet. She attended the Annual North-Lincoln Alumni Games, where at one of the last games she was recognized as one of the oldest Lincoln High School graduates present. Lenore was a renaissance woman who played the viola, excelled at art and loved her family. She would often tell stories of her childhood and time spent with her grandfather "Grandpa Reeves" at the Wisconsin State Fair. "Grandpa Reeves" allowed Lenore to work with the horses with him. She and her cousins helped to clean the stables. As a young adult, Lenore also enjoyed playing baseball at Lapham Park with her cousins, Diana, Dani and Jeannie. Lenore and her family were known and respected throughout greater Milwaukee. During the 1940's, Lenore worked closely with her father, Leroy Simmons during his successful campaign to become the First African American State Assemblyman for the State of Wisconsin. Lenore was mentored by her late aunt and uncle, Mrs. Ardie Halyard and Mr. Wilbur Halyard who pioneered a new wave of community and neighborhood development for the City of Milwaukee during the 1950's and 60's. Lenore was a hard worker whose first job was at a factory on East Pleasant Street. She also worked in several Walnut Street restaurants as a waitress doing whatever she needed to pursue a better life for her girls and herself. She worked for companies in increasing responsible roles culminating in her position as a Customer Service Representative Supervisor at the Wisconsin Gas Company where she retired in 1988, after 20 years. Retired but not tired, Lenore began working for the City of Milwaukee's Election Commission where she worked until her health failed. Lenore, the Renaissance Woman, pursued an interest in preserving her Ancestral History and became a bonafide Genealogist. She found great satisfaction in researching the archives in Chicago, the microfiche files in Wisconsin and Washington D.C., and recently recorded an oral history of growing up in Milwaukee during the 1930's and 40's and 50's with her first cousin Mrs. Diana Jarreau. She was also an avid Green Bay Packer fan and was famous for her pound cakes. She made her heavenly transition on Wednesday, April 1st, 2015, at the age of 85. Lenore was preceded in death by her mother, Anne Simmons; father, Leroy Simmons; brother, Le Roi Maurice Simmons; grandson, Kevin Fields; and granddaughter, Andreia Mathews. She leaves to cherish her memory: her devoted daughters, Marilyn (Tommy) Burress, Karen Simmons, Noreen (Richard) Johnson, Kathleen (Christopher) Levy and Phyllis (Mansfield) Turner; nine grandchildren, James Fields Ill, Patrice Sims, Erick McKay, Julianne Christianson, Keith Fields, Bryan McKay, Neena Mathews, Amber Mathews and Marlon Sims; 25 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Constance Baldwin; one special cousin, Mrs. Diana (Al) Jarreau; God-family, Reverend Ray, Carolyn, Ray III and Patricia Walker and many nieces, nephews and a host of friends.

Mrs. Lenore Marquerite Mathews

July 18, 1929 - April 1, 2015