Deborah Norris Matthews

Deborah Ruth Norris Matthews, 87, passed away on March 15, 2025, after a short illness. Debbie was a lifelong advocate for social justice, public service, and the arts. She marched with Martin Luther King and actively assisted with political campaigns, including those for George McGovern and Dick Celeste. Her extensive volunteer work included Godman Guild, Riverside Methodist Hospital, Kobacker House, Experience Columbus, the Memorial Tournament, and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. A longtime member of the Rebounders booster club for the Ohio State women’s basketball team, she loved dressing in scarlet and gray. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 22, 1937, Debbie moved to Columbus in 1966. After raising her family and retiring from the Ohio Department of Taxation, she traveled the world. Debbie walked the Great Wall of China, cruised aboard a clipper ship, and journeyed to Australia to attend the 2000 Olympics and fly in a hot-air balloon. A lifelong learner, she visited Chautauqua Institution every summer, sharing a house with girlfriends and enjoying lectures and concerts. With her impeccable memory, Debbie made friends and connections everywhere she went. Whether walking in downtown Columbus or exploring distant locales, she always seemed to bump into someone she knew. A true music lover, Debbie performed with both the Village Singers and the Worthington Chorus for over two decades and would break into song at the slightest provocation, delighting onlookers and dismaying her children during their teenage years. Every summer, she spent a week on Cape Cod at the Craigville Adult UCC Music Camp with her dearest childhood friend, Mary Ann Hermance. In Columbus, Debbie avidly attended and supported the Columbus Symphony, the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, in addition to BalletMet, Thurber House, and the Ohio Theatre. During her many years as a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, she always rejoiced in the opportunity to sing beautiful hymns. Devoted to family, Debbie had boundless pride and affection for her three children and their spouses, Douglas and Katherine Matthews, Susan and Ken Burger, and David and Tricia Matthews, as well as her seven grandchildren, their spouses, and her adorable great-grandchild: Henry and Ana Matthews, Will Matthews, Chris and Tara Burger, Maggie Matthews, Maddie and Carl and Quade Rassi, Audrey Matthews, and Grace Matthews. Debbie delighted in the role of grandmother. When a grandchild reached their tenth birthday, she whisked them off on an adventurous trip, creating memories that just the two of them would share. At the time of her death, Debbie was looking forward to welcoming two new great-grandchildren in 2025. True to her Boston roots, she remained a Red Sox fan for her entire life. The daughter of Fenton Norris, a funeral director, and Lois (Woods) Norris, Debbie graduated from Winchester High School in 1955. Her New England family tree reaches all the way back to Peregrine White, born on the Mayflower in 1620, and includes Benjamin Franklin and the Coffin and Folger families of Nantucket Island. Her niece, Sheryl Norris, her grandnephew, Pete Norris, and her great-grandnephew, Reign Patrick Norris, still reside in the Boston area. She is also survived by her nephews, Stephen and Rick Norris. Debbie is preceded in death by her brother, Richard F. Norris, her sister-in-law, Maryalyce Norris, and her grandnephew, Patrick Norris. Everyone who knew Debbie will fondly remember her brilliant smile, her gorgeous youthful complexion, her constant cup of black coffee, her unrivaled passion for a great bargain, her uncanny ability to remember everyone, and her unflagging faith in the necessity of equal rights for all, the power of kindness, and the sweet beauty of a cello concerto. Calling hours: Friday, March 28, from 5 to 7 pm, at Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, 515 High St., Worthington. Celebration of Life: Trinity United Methodist Church, 1581 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, on Saturday, March 29, at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to two of Debbie’s favorite organizations: Godman Guild and Thurber House.

Deborah Norris Matthews

May 22, 1937 - March 15, 2025