Venita Reeves Matthews, 67, Fort Meade, Fla., our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and sister passed away on Oct. 8, 2012, due to heart failure.

She was born July 23, 1945, in Lake City, Ark.

She was a Christian and an active member of First Baptist Church of Fort Meade.

She enjoyed cooking, Facebooking, and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Louise Perser.

She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Clark Matthews Sr.; son, Clark Jr. and wife Carol Matthews of Bartow, daughter, Leah and husband Randy Sadler of Fort Meade; grandsons, Clark III (Trey) and wife Krystal Matthews of Bartow, Chase and Kirk Matthews of Bartow, granddaughter, Caitlyn Graves of Fort Meade, great-granddaughter Alyssa Matthews of Bartow; sister, Rhonda and husband David Shaw of Thomasville, Ga.; brother, Steve and wife Beverly Reves of Fort Meade, and several other extended family.

Visitation: Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, at 10 a.m.

Service: 11 a.m., First Baptist Church of Fort Meade.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Florida Baptist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 8190 Lakeland, FL 33802.

Gentry-Morrison Funeral Home, Southside Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.