Barbara (Belehrad) Matthews

Barbara Belehrad Matthews, 74, of Idaho Falls, passed away August 4, 2020, at Good Samaritan Society Idaho Falls Village following a long battle with cancer.

Barbara was born July 15, 1946, in New York, New York. She spent her childhood in Villa Park, Illinois, with her parents, Jerry P. Belehrad and Helen Wehenkel Belehrad, and her sister, Sally Kana. She later attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where she met her future spouse on a blind date on Halloween her senior year. After graduation, having earned a bachelor's degree in history, she taught junior high social studies in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

On August 16, 1969, she married Roy Andrew Matthews in Lombard, Illinois. Barbara followed her husband Roy, an U. S. Air Force officer, to assignments in Minot AFB, North Dakota, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Upon his retirement from the Air Force, they made their home in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Barbara was an active participant with the Girl Scouts for 39 years as a troop leader in four states advocating for equal opportunities for all scouts. She convinced the military base commanders to equally support Girl Scouting as well as Boy Scouts with base resources. Her travels covered all lower 48 states, Mexico, Canada, and Alaska. She enjoyed visiting places that showed historical significance such as Colonial Williamsburg, Mystic Seaport, and Sitka, Alaska.

She was a member of United Church of Christ where she served as a Sunday School teacher. She enjoyed playing Bridge, reading and watching mysteries, camping, sailing, hiking, cake decorating, quilting, and other crafts, as well as spoiling her grandchildren. She instilled in her children and grandchildren her great love of reading.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband, Roy Matthews of Idaho Falls, ID; her mother, Helen Belehrad of Pocatello, ID; daughter, Suzanne (Marc) Bergstrom of Pocatello, ID; son, Andrew (Sara) Matthews of Meridian, ID; daughter, Allison Matthews of Richland, WA; and five grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry P. Belehrad; and sister, Sally Kana.

Services will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Huntsman Institute, Huntsman Cancer Foundation, 500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. Please download the form at https://huntsmancancer.org/giving/foundation/_pdfs/hcf-printable-donation-form-2012.pdf or online at https://us.netdonor.net/page/5121/donate/1.