Frances Mathewson

Frances King Mathewson-Black died peacefully on February 2, 2016 in Urbana, IL. She was 96. Frances was born to Wilson and Eunice King in North Chili, New York on July 31, 1919. Her father was an Old Testament professor at Greenville College in Greenville, IL, where she attended as an undergraduate and met her first husband, R. G. "Bill" Mathewson, also a student. They married on August 14, 1938, and she joined him in Chicago, where he attended medical school. They eventually settled in Pana, IL, where Bill joined a thriving medical practice and Frances became choir director at the Presbyterian Church. They raised their family in Pana, lived for a time in Waupaca, WI, and then in Las Vegas, NM, where Frances again enjoyed conducting the choir at the Presbyterian Church. She loved the high desert landscape and considered New Mexico her spiritual home. In their retirement, they returned to the midwest, making their home in Sherman, IL. All Frances' grandchildren knew her as "Nana." Her husband Bill died in 1997. On May 15, 2000, she married the Rt. Rev. William Grant Black. They traveled extensively together, regularly visiting their far-flung friends and family. Frances' impeccably polished appearance belied her earthy sense of humor. She was known to play practical jokes on houseguests and tell her grandchildren hilarious stories from her own childhood. When celebrating, she served champagne with a splash of Chambord and loved to lead the singing of the Old 100th before meals, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow" She was generous with her time and money and a great appreciator of music and the arts. Those who knew her will forever associate her with the smell of her favorite perfume: White Diamonds. She was preceded in death by her first husband R. G. Mathewson, her second husband the Rt. Rev. William Grant Black, her brother Wilbert King, and her sister Virginia King. She is survived by her sisters Lois Lingren of Stanwood, WA, and Joanna Sharpe of Greensboro, NC; her children Brad Mathewson of Hudson Oaks, TX, Ted (Gloria) Mathewson of Oswego, IL, Wendy (Jim) Schmitz of Pana, IL, and Mark (Barb) Mathewson of Athens, IL; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. There will be a memorial service at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 533 S Walnut St, Springfield, IL, on March 12, 2016 at 11:00 am; reception to follow at the church. Interment will be at Rosamond Grove Cemetery, near Pana, after the reception. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in the name of Mrs. Mathewson-Black to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 533 S Walnut St, Springfield, IL. Sunset Funeral Home in Champaign, IL is serving the family of Frances.