Obituary for Rev. Clifford Matthews
Rev. Isaac Clifford Matthews a resident of Jack, Alabama, passed away Friday, June 17, 2022, at Enterprise Health and Rehabilitation in Enterprise, Alabama. He was 87 years old. Funeral services for Rev. Isaac Clifford Matthews will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 20, 2022, at St John Baptist Church with Dr. Terry Robertson, Dr. Dustin Coleman, Dr. Leon White, Dr. Paul Matthews, and Rev. Averyt Walker officiating. Burial will follow in St John Baptist Church Cemetery with Skeen Funeral Home directing. A visitation will be held from noon until service time. Memorials may be made to the St. John Baptist Church Cemetery Trust Fund via Troy Bank and Trust Co., Troy, Alabama 36081. Honorarium to your favorite missions organization. Rev. Clifford Matthews was preceded in death by his father, Isaac Newton Matthews; his mother, Gladys Shell Matthews; his two sisters, Ernestine Chadwick (Edward) and Myriam Cumbie (Jim). He is survived by his wife, Peggy June Galloway Matthews; a daughter, Wanda June Matthews; a son, Paul Matthews (Dana); seven grandchildren: Hannah Pierce (Spencer), Stephanie Lucas, Diana Lucas, Jeremy Matthews, Brittany Lucas, Ben Lucas, and Zack Matthews; two great grandchildren, Paxton Pierce and Everlee Pierce; two sisters, Jane Jeffres (Earl) and Patsy Powell (Billy). Pallbearers will be: Jeremy Matthews, Zack Matthews, Ben Lucas, Spencer Pierce, Billy Wilson, and Tom Donn.
My Dad
“Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come…”
My dad, Clifford Matthews, was born on what some would call “the wrong side of the tracks” in Troy, AL. He faced many challenges in his almost 88 years, beginning with a fall into an open fireplace in his first year of life. He was burned badly in that fire and carried those scars with him throughout his life. Nevertheless, God had great things in store for him and had a mission for him to fulfill in the world for the kingdom of God. His childhood was filled with many adventures including hunting trips, fishing excursions, and visits to his grandparents’ farm. It was also filled with things like a bite from a Black Widow spider, almost drowning, falling out of trees, nearly being struck by a dangerous water moccasin, and having a fishhook cut out of his hand.
He would always say that life was pretty good with his parents and four sisters growing up in south Alabama – pretty good, that is, until the weekends. My dad, his mother, and sisters tried to do everything they could to keep two things away from their alcoholic father: his car keys and his pistol. Their hard-working father battled an alcohol addiction until mid-life when his life was changed by the power of God. The turning point for my father, his father, and the whole family came when a new church was started near their home. That church was Northside Baptist Church. Through the ministry of that church, my father as a teenager heard the Gospel, received Christ, and never got over it. His life was so transformed that by the age of 18 he was preaching in multiple churches and leading revival services all over south Alabama.
In one of his early churches, St. John Baptist Church, he began another truly great adventure. He met the love of his life, my mother, Peggy Galloway. When he fell in love with her, married her, and moved from that church, it caused quite a stir. Not only did the church lose their pastor, they also lost their pianist since my mother played the piano. This began a truly incredible ministry journey over the next 65+ years that saw them serve the Lord and start churches in Alabama, the Republic of Panama, New York, and Florida. Over these years, Dad led in starting over 500 churches (you can read about this work in his book, “Worth Dying For,” available on Amazon).
As I think about my dad, there would be a few things I’d like you to know. First, he loved and served the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ve ever met him, you know this! His life’s mission-verse would be, “It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known” (Romans 15:20a). Jesus was everything to him, even to his last breath. Also, he did everything in his power to help as many people as possible come to know Jesus. He loved his wife and family. He taught me how to work on cars, ride motorcycles, fish, and hunt. He also imparted to me a great love of reading and staying focused on God’s Word, the Bible. I can’t tell you how many Bibles and books he’s given me over the years. He never claimed to be perfect, often apologized when he was wrong, and remained faithful to the end. In his last days, he said with a smile on his face, “I’m ready to go home.” We all knew what he meant by that. He was ready to go home and be with the Lord he loved and served with every ounce of his strength. What a great example of faithfulness to the end. Thanks for that example, Dad. I pray I can live up to it myself until I see you again.
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.” -Amazing Grace
With gratitude, From his son Paul
My Dad
“Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come…”
My dad, Clifford Matthews, was born on what some would call “the wrong side of the tracks” in Troy, AL. He faced many challenges in his almost 88 years, beginning with a fall into an open fireplace in his first year of life. He was burned badly in that fire and carried those scars with him throughout his life. Nevertheless, God had great things in store for him and had a mission for him to fulfill in the world for the kingdom of God. His childhood was filled with many adventures including hunting trips, fishing excursions, and visits to his grandparents’ farm. It was also filled with things like a bite from a Black Widow spider, almost drowning, falling out of trees, nearly being struck by a dangerous water moccasin, and having a fishhook cut out of his hand.
He would always say that life was pretty good with his parents and four sisters growing up in south Alabama – pretty good, that is, until the weekends. My dad, his mother, and sisters tried to do everything they could to keep two things away from their alcoholic father: his car keys and his pistol. Their hard-working father battled an alcohol addiction until mid-life when his life was changed by the power of God. The turning point for my father, his father, and the whole family came when a new church was started near their home. That church was Northside Baptist Church. Through the ministry of that church, my father as a teenager heard the Gospel, received Christ, and never got over it. His life was so transformed that by the age of 18 he was preaching in multiple churches and leading revival services all over south Alabama.
In one of his early churches, St. John Baptist Church, he began another truly great adventure. He met the love of his life, my mother, Peggy Galloway. When he fell in love with her, married her, and moved from that church, it caused quite a stir. Not only did the church lose their pastor, they also lost their pianist since my mother played the piano. This began a truly incredible ministry journey over the next 65+ years that saw them serve the Lord and start churches in Alabama, the Republic of Panama, New York, and Florida. Over these years, Dad led in starting over 500 churches (you can read about this work in his book, “Worth Dying For,” available on Amazon).
As I think about my dad, there would be a few things I’d like you to know. First, he loved and served the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ve ever met him, you know this! His life’s mission-verse would be, “It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known” (Romans 15:20a). Jesus was everything to him, even to his last breath. Also, he did everything in his power to help as many people as possible come to know Jesus. He loved his wife and family. He taught me how to work on cars, ride motorcycles, fish, and hunt. He also imparted to me a great love of reading and staying focused on God’s Word, the Bible. I can’t tell you how many Bibles and books he’s given me over the years. He never claimed to be perfect, often apologized when he was wrong, and remained faithful to the end. In his last days, he said with a smile on his face, “I’m ready to go home.” We all knew what he meant by that. He was ready to go home and be with the Lord he loved and served with every ounce of his strength. What a great example of faithfulness to the end. Thanks for that example, Dad. I pray I can live up to it myself until I see you again.
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.” -Amazing Grace
With gratitude, From his son Paul