Elsie H. Matthews

Elsie H. Matthews, age 95, longtime resident of Geneva, NY, passed away on January 30, 2018 in Hartford, CT after a brief illness.

Family and friends may call on Monday (Feb. 5) from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the McGuigan & Bero Funeral Home 45 High St. Geneva. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday (Feb. 6) with prayers at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home and a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Stephen’s Church.

Elsie was born on June 20, 1922 in Niagara Falls, NY, the daughter of the late Leon and Kunegunda Klimeczko. There she met and married her husband, Henry and started a family. She was an office worker for the Carborundum Company in Niagara Falls, later moving with Henry to Rochester, NY and taking a position with the Rochester Telephone Company. In 1957, the family moved to Geneva, NY where they resided at 83 Slosson Lane for over 50 years.

Very active and involved in her beloved community of Geneva, she was a member of St. Stephen’s Church, the American Legion Post #396 Ladies’ Auxiliary, the Geneva Country Club, the Geneva Women’s Club, the Geneva Garden Club, the St. Stephen’s Mother’s Club (serving as president in 1962) and was a Brownie troop leader of the Girl Scouts of America (much to the delight of her daughters and their friends).

Elsie co-founded and operated a successful catering business for several years and also enjoyed working as a sales associate for Dorio Drug Co. in Waterloo, NY and at Red Jacket Farms in Geneva, NY.

Elsie is survived by her daughters, Gloria Kray (Mark) of Pottstown, PA, Joyce Bragdon of Rocky Hill, CT and Mary Lou Matthews of Burbank, CA; five grandchildren, Mark (Tara) Matthews of Avondale, PA, Christina Latza (Bill) of Melbourne, FL, Michael (Amber) Thompson of Oklahoma City, OK, Christopher Mulvihill of Las Vegas, NV and Roxanne Guiney (Chris) of Seattle, WA; 4 great-grandchildren, Ellie, Mia, Jack and Owen; beloved sister, Eleanor Klimeczko of Niagara Falls, NY; and many nieces and nephews.

Elsie was predeceased by her husband, Henry G., her son, Henry J., her brothers, Edward, John, Frank and Stanley Klimeczko and sister, Julia Fennell.