Lasting Memories

Isabel Renée Mathews
Dec. 5, 1998-Sept. 14, 2020
Menlo Park, California

Our beloved Isabel was unexpectedly released from this life on September 14, 2020. Born in Palo Alto, CA, she graduated in 2017 with a high school diploma from Lydian Academy in Menlo Park, CA. She was excited to move away to college and, despite invisible disabilities, attended Chico State University. There she reveled in the untamed atmosphere, down-to-earth friends and natural beauty, eventually discovering the field of Recreation, Hospitality and Parks Management.

Isabel was a people person, thriving in situations where she could be surrounded by the hum of activity. She loved her time working various summer jobs, especially in the restaurant industry. Regardless of the group she was in, she often found characters who either captured her attention or might be in need of her support. Isabel made dear friends along the way beginning in preschool at University Heights, Las Lomitas Elementary, Girl Scout camp, Lydian Academy and Chico State.

She was a born nurturer and mothered many different pets, from tiny frogs gathered in the summer on Blakely Island, WA, to pet rats, a mouse, and a guinea pig. She also had a loving if somewhat complicated relationship with Mikey, the family dog.

Isabel gravitated to outdoor places and loved attending summer camp, being a camp counselor, hiking to a swimming hole or walking on the beach. She had a very special imagination, often surprising us with her creations such as a Halloween hairstyle depicting a spring garden theme, intricate “pop-up” greeting cards and a ceramic vase in the shape of a human foot. She especially loved holidays with the opportunities for elaborate decorating, communal cooking and gathered family.

Whether you knew her as Isabel, Izzie, Issy-bear or Izzie pop, you knew that she lived on her own time and in her own way.

Isabel is survived by her parents, Kurk and Cathy and her sister, Sabrina. She also leaves behind her maternal grandmother, Linda Beccio (Gil Ward) of Marana, AZ, her paternal grandfather, Jim Mathews of Menlo Park, CA, her maternal step-grandmother, Mary Ann Beccio of San Mateo, CA, her uncle, Bill Beccio of Hawthorne, CA, her aunt Sue Beccio (Alessandra Giacomelli) of Rome, Italy, her uncle Christian Mathews (Inna) of Campbell, CA, three cousins scattered around Europe, and the many loving friends, teachers, mentors and others who loved and cared for her.