Charlotte Elizabeth Crews Mathews

Charlotte Elizabeth Crews Mathews was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Rex and Helen (Schaffer) Crews on Monday January 24, 1927 at 730pm, thus a night person from the very beginning.

Her parents were both born in September 1900 and are now both deceased. Rex was a railroader for the Colorado and Southern Railroad which evolved into the Burlington Northern Railroad and her mother Helen was a one-room country school teacher.

A brother James Edward joined the family on July 27, 1929, and on June 25, 1931 her sister Shirley Jacqueline was born. Both of whom were tragically deceased. Shirley in 1935 and Jim in 1957.

A brother Louis Glenn “Jack” came along in 1940.

In 1940 the family moved to a ranch on the Happy Jack Road west of Cheyenne. Jim and Charlotte rode the school buses and the milk delivery car from the west, all the way through to high school. Charlotte graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1944; the class did not have an annual that year due to the war so they shared with the class of 1943. The graduating class numbered 205 with many of the boys missing due to being in the service.

In the summer of 1944 Charlotte enrolled in Business Education at the University of Wyoming, graduating in June of 1947.

On December 7, 1947 she and Leslie Mathews of Granite Canon, Wyoming, which is 5 miles from the Happy Jack “as the crow flies” were married.

She and Les settled in Denver, Colorado where he attended the University of Denver and majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management on the GI Bill and $109 a month. To supplement their income, Les worked at hotels and restaurants and Charlotte worked at Gates Rubber, the University of Denver Administration Office, and Armour and Company. After Les’ graduation in 1951 they moved to Portland, Oregon where Les was employed with Montgomery Ward as Assistant Manager in the cafeteria. Charlotte transferred to Armour in Portland. They bought a big old Victorian house for $6000 and the house is still in the family.

In 1957 they moved to Roeland Park, Kansas a suburb of Kansas City, where daughter Tedde was born. A year later daughter Wende was born in Cheyenne, daughter Kamme was born in Rapid City, SD in 1960, son Ward was born in Colorado Springs, CO in 1962, and finally son Boyd joined the gang in 1964 in Cheyenne.

Les became assistant manager at the University of Wyoming’s cafeteria then another move was made in 1969 to the University of Illinois at Champaign cafeteria system. In 1971 another move to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where he was director of food services.

During all this moving Charlotte and the family journeyed to Tucson, AZ each summer where her parents had a roping arena and a swimming pool. Wrong time to go to Arizona, but the pool helped. Charlotte enrolled in the College of Education at the University of Arizona and with some additional required courses at the University of Illinois she received her Masters of Education.

She taught business courses in Adult Education and substituted for the schools of Champaign and Urbana. She also substituted in the Las Cruces Public School System and taught classes at the Dona Ana Branch Community College of NMSU.

She was the manager of the Texaco Pronto, the first self-service gas station in Las Cruces. All the kids and their friends helped out in the operation.

Finally in 1975 she was hired as an instructor at the Dona Ana Branch Community College and retired from the University in 1992 just before the birth of Kamme’s daughter Chiane. And then Chiane became her charge while Kamme worked.

Charlotte was active in Beta Sigma Phi, social sorority, since 1950 having been in 12 chapters.

She was also active in the United Methodist Church wherever they lived. She has been involved in Masonic Organizations; Eastern Star, Order of the Amaranth reaching the office of Grand Royal Matron, and Las Cruces Club Daughters of the Nile as President and Secretary for many years.

Her professional activities while at Dona Ana Branch Community College (now DACC) were, sponsor for student organization, president New Mexico Business Education Association, president New Mexico Vocational Association, Division Chairman Mid-Western Vocational Association, and Delegate to the International Society of Business Education.

Her professional and personal travels included Austria, Germany, France, England, Holland, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the smaller European Countries.

The most fantastic trip was the 84 day around the world Princess Royal Cruise from Florida to Italy which went thru the Panama Canal, stopping in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Easter Island, Samoa, Philippines, China, Singapore, Vietnam, Shanghai, Australia, Oman, Red Sea, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Italy and home. Other family travels were Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean (Virgin Islands, Bahamas).

Leslie passed away in 1994 and Wende came home from California to tend to his vending business.

Charlotte is survived by her daughter Tedde Avalos and FAVORITE SON IN LAW Jr Avalos, their daughter Felicia of Conroe, TX, their son Kyle and his daughter Kali Avalos of Conroe, daughter Wende of Las Cruces, daughter Kamme and her daughter Chiane and her daughter Amelia of Las Cruces and her, daughter in law Suzanne of Las Vegas, NV, Son Boyd of Portland, OR. Her brother Jack (Tuda) of Bueyeros, NM and their son Ted (Sadie Jo) and their 4 children, Libby (Peter) and daughter, her niece Shirley (Tim), Nephew Allen and family, niece Jeannie and family. She has many relatives and friends that she will greatly miss, as well as her beloved LOVEY DOVEY FREEBEE.

She was preceded in death by her son Ward in May 2025 and her nephew Jeff.

Thank you for wearing purple to her Celebration of Life. She loved you all and loved purple.