James Mathews Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

James (Jimmy) Lee Mathews. 77, of Wilmington, NC, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, after a short battle with cancer. He was born on October 15, 1944 to Lou Ella (King) Mathews and James Pope (JP) Mathews in Wilmington, NC. Jimmy graduated from New Hanover High School and went on to serve in the United States Coast Guard for 4 years. In 1970 he married the love of his life, Judy K (Peterson) Mathews and they enjoyed 51 years of marriage. Jimmy is survived by his wife Judy, son Brian (wife Katie), and grandchild, Anthony. He is also survived by his sister Kathy Squires (and her husband Donnie) of Bloomington, MN as well as many nieces, great nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by both of his parents, his twin sister Jeannie, brother Donnie and a nephew, Michael. Jimmy worked for General Electric for his entire career and chose to retire early to spend more time with family. He loved his family and friends, was generous with helping others and never expected anything in return. He couldn’t go anywhere in town without running into someone he knew. He could tell stories like no other and had an impeccable memory. Nineteen years ago Jimmy and Judy were blessed with their one and only grandchild, Anthony Lee Mathews. Jimmy loved and adored Anthony from infancy to adulthood. He provided Anthony with memories for a lifetime; among those memories was a family cruise. Over the years, Jimmy and Judy enjoyed 11 more vacation cruises to various destinations in the Caribbean. Besides cruising, they enjoyed Car Shows and Cruising in Jimmy’s 55 Chevy Pickup. Jimmy enjoyed restoring classic cars and was a Charter Member of the Sun Coast Cruisers. As a couple, they spent many weekends at car shows and attending music festivals together. Jimmy was a member of College Acres Baptist Church. He demonstrated his strong Faith during his struggle with cancer. As the Mathews Family Patriarch he was always called on to lead the blessing at the Mathews Family gatherings over the years; he was gifted in saying those prayers. He put himself in God’s Hands and trusted that the Lord was leading him Home in his last days. A Celebration of Jimmy’s Life will be held on Thursday, March 10th at 11am at Greenlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (2572 Flint Drive - on the corner of Shipyard and 17th Street). There will be a graveside service followed by a luncheon (location to be announced at the service). We invite anyone in the car club to drive their old cars.