Eulalie "Lee" Matheson Fisher's Obituary
Eulalie Jean Matheson was born on March 16, 1920 at home in Redwood City, California. She was the first child of James Duncan and M. Estelle (nee Valencia) Matheson. Her brother, James, was born two years later. Eulalie grew up in the San Francisco Bay area of northern California, vacationing at the family cabin in Aptos (on Monterey Bay), and graduating from Alhambra Union High School in Martinez, CA. She was the yearbook editor in her senior year and received two scholarships at graduation.
Lee continued her education at the University of California, Berkeley, working during vacations and holidays at F. W. Woolworth Company. She was fortunate that her parents could pay her rent. She graduated in 1941 with a AB in Physical Education/Hygiene and a minor in South American History. Following graduation, she attended the California State College at San Jose, studying for a teaching credential. World War II and marriage intervened.
During the war, Lee worked as a laboratory technician at Shell Oil Company in Martinez, CA, testing fuels. She began her teaching career in 1948 at Fort Bragg High School in California and continued either as a substitute (England) or full time teacher (South Carolina), while following her husband’s Air Force postings. She mainly taught science in the upper grades and while in South Carolina, received a National Science Foundation grant to study biology at Duke University for two summers. Several years later, while teaching in California, Lee discovered a talent for assisting children with learning disabilities and, in 1966, she attended a summer program at USC at which current investigations into learning disabilities were examined. One of the speakers was a Professor Haring from the University of Washington, who subsequently encouraged her to open the Learning Resource Room in the Renton School district, under the aegis of the UW.
She moved to the Federal Way School district in 1970, remaining there until her retirement in 1982. During her years at Federal Way, she gained her permanent WA teachers credential, opened the Decatur High School Learning Resource room (the first in the district), earned an MA in Educational Administration, a WA Administrator’s credential, was Vice Principal of Federal Way High School for three years, and Principal of Illahee Junior High School for two. During her retirement, Lee and Barbara Field, a Gig Harbor AAUW member, founded Seabury School in Tacoma (at Brown’s Point). This elementary school for gifted children has prospered and has since opened a junior high in downtown Tacoma. Lee married Roy Woodworth in December 1941, and divorced in the 70’s. They had three children together. She married Harold Fisher in 1991, gaining two additional daughters.
Lee joined the the Federal Way branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in 1977 and was a member until 2021. In 1982, Lee was chosen to represent the Washington State AAUW to the African-American Educators program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She traveled to Sierra Leone with a group of six American educators or educational administrators, each from a different area of the U.S. They visited schools in Sierra Leone, lived with local families for six weeks and compared experiences with educators from Sierra Leone. She found this experience a most rewarding AAUW activity.
One activity Lee enjoyed as an Air Force wife was playing the game of bridge. She was a serious, intense player and during her retirement, she studied and learned to play competitive duplicate bridge. She was very proud of her one international point. Lee and Hal moved to Franke Tobey Jones Retirement Estates in 1995 and continued to live there until her death on September 15, 2024. She was one day from being 104½ years old. She is survived by her children, Patricia W Gwin and Roy E. Woodworth; Hal’s daughters, Lynne Carleton and Deborah McCormick; eight grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. Two husbands, one son and two grandchildren predeceased her.
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