Mary Belle (Hutson) Matlock died after a battle with cancer on January 19, 2019, in Morgan Hill, California at the age of 86.
Mary is survived by her children, Michael Matlock (wife Linda), and Michele Diane Carter (husband Bill), her grandchildren, Clay Causin, Laura Moore (husband Rob), and Chris Matlock (wife Tomi), and Danielle Causin, her step-grandchildren, Elaine Totten (husband Jim), Jen Piazza (husband Steve), Molly Torres (husband Robert), and Heather Green (husband Jim) and 16 great-grandchildren: Crysta Brown (husband Caleb), Callista, Caden, and Carrigan Causin, Jocylen, Jordan, and Jake Moore, Nevaeh, Carlie, and Mylie Matlock, Willis, Chance, and Maddie Totten, Madison Piazza, Emily and Allison Green. She is preceded in death by her husband Edwin Matlock, parents, Robert (Pete) and Marjorie Hutson, Step-mom, Vada Hutson, and 3 great-grandchildren, Haley Michelle Moore, Chaos Jax Causin, and baby Moore.
Mary was born on January 10, 1933 in Lane, Oklahoma to Robert Douglas (Pete) and Marjorie Ann Hutson. She graduated from Sanger High School in 1950. She married Edwin Hugh Matlock July 3, 1950 whom she met at a dance in Fresno California at the age of 17. In 1951, the couple welcomed their first child, Michael Edwin. Mary and Ed moved from Fresno to Utah following construction, and then to Rockport, California where Ed began working for the Rockport Redwood Company as a heavy machine operator. Here the couple was paid in script and had to buy everything at the company store. And here in, 1954, is where they welcomed their daughter, Michele Diane into their home. From Rockport they bought their first new house in Santa Clara. Later they sold this house and bought a 2-story trailer and lived in an RV Park in San Jose. In 1956, they then moved their trailer to a lot they purchased in Las Lomas, Watsonville, California. Here they lived until 1958 when they sold and moved into the family home on Hudson Landing Road. This home they shared until 2014 when Ed passed away. After 56 years of wonderful memories, Mary moved into a senior mobile home park where she lived until she moved to be closer to her daughter and son-in-law in Morgan Hill, California.
Mary’s mom passed away from Malaria a day before she turned 1 year old. She grew up with her brother, and father in the back hills of Lane, Atoka, Oklahoma. Due to no mother in the house she started kindergarten at the age of 4. She rode a horse to school and would stop and pick her breakfast off the fruit trees along the way. During the Dust Bowl era, her dad moved the family from Oklahoma to Sanger, California, when she was about 10 years old. Here, in Sanger, she was elated to have a house with a wooden floor and ceilings. This meant no more sweeping the compacted dirt floor or shaking the snakes out of the gauze ceiling with a broom handle.
Mary was accomplished at oil painting and sewing. As a teenager with little money, she would study the Sears Catalog and make her own clothes for High School. Once she had children, she continued to sew and made all their clothes. As well as crocheting and knitting sweaters, blankets, and booties. She and Ed loved bowling and joined the Watsonville Bowling League until the close of the bowling alley where they then moved with the league to the Santa Cruz Bowl.
Mary worked nights on the assembly line stacking cups at a paper cup factory and an aluminum plant, so she could be home during the day with her children and to make ends meet. She was a huge success as an Avon Lady and worked as a clerk at Johnson’s Drug Store. Once Mike and Diane were married and gone, she studied and got her real-estate license and became an ERA Realtor. She and Ed retired early, bought a motorhome, joined Thousand Trails and traveled the United States with friends. They also did some world traveling. With their bowling group they went to Alaska. They traveled to Australia and China with the Watsonville Band group. And even enjoyed a cruise or two or three. She and Ed even won a few Jitterbug contests and enjoyed dancing any time they had the opportunity. One of the grandchildren’s best memories of them is them dancing at their weddings, reunions, or just in a garage at family gatherings. After retiring, Mary and Ed spent most every summer in Missouri with family where they enjoyed Sunday dinner at Aunt Madge and Uncle Loman’s, playing train (the domino game).
Mary was a thoughtful, generous, kind individual who loved her family and friends and would go out of her way to help them anytime she could. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend to many. She will be deeply missed by all. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, January 26th, 12:00 noon – 4:00 at the Elks Lodge, 121 Martinelli St, Watsonville. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Mary’s life. The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers at Valley Pines for the care, love and respect showered upon Mary these last couple years and to the Nurses, CNAs, Physical Therapists and staff of Pacific Hills for the way they honored her and loved on her in her last moments upon this earth. The family would also like to thank the many, many friends and family that have been praying, calling, sending good wishes for Mary – and – for all those who sent flowers and cards for her 86th Birthday, celebrated last week.
