Beatrice Johnson Matheny

Beatrice Johnson Matheny, age 98, passed away on Dec. 6, 2024 at an assisted living facility in Southlake, Texas. She had been on hospice for several years in a memory care community. Bea was born on December 11, 1925 in Peoria, Illinois to Walter and Selma Johnson. She grew up with one older brother, Clifford.

Bea received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Purdue University in 1947 and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She went on to the University of Illinois to pursue graduate work, and received a Doctorate Degree in Research Psychology. While at the university, she also took flying lessons and received her pilots license.

Bea was married on November 8, 1952 in Peoria, Illinois to William Guy Matheny. Guy also had a doctorate in psychology and they met at the University of Illinois where he was doing human factors research in aviation. They soon moved to Panama City, Florida where Guy worked in research at Tyndal Air Force Base. It was there that they had their first child, Craig.

Several years later, their second child, Karen, was born in Fort Worth, Texas. They had moved to the suburb of Richland Hills, where Guy began a new job at Bell Helicopter. Several years later, their third and final child, Kevin, was also born in Fort Worth. Bea was a stay at home mother looking after the kids until Kevin turned 3 years old. She then began her career in psychology.

Bea started out by teaching classes in psychology part-time at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She taught a variety of classes, but began to specialize in child psychology. Later, in conjunction with her teaching career, she began a private counseling practice. As her practice grew, she offered a wide variety of services.

In the beginning and throughout her practice, both general and family counseling was a large part of her business, but she also expanded into a number of different areas. She developed good relationships with the local school districts and did testing and evaluation for children with learning and behavioral disabilities.

She also counseled battered women and was influential in establishing The Women’s Haven of Fort Worth. This was an organization that provided counseling and refuge to women and children in abusive relationships. In 2006, the group merged with The Women’s Shelter in Arlington to become SafeHaven, the only state designated family violence center in Tarrant County.

As Bea’s reputation grew, she was able to branch into forensic psychology, where she provided professional services in a number of legal proceedings. This often involved evaluations and court testimony for disputed parental custody cases. She also testified in cases involving domestic abuse.

In the 1970’s, she was an early adopter of Biofeedback. This is a treatment that monitors the body’s heart rate, muscle tension and temperature on a continual basis while providing immediate feedback. It’s used to treat a number of ailments, such as anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Bea and Guy worked together to development their biofeedback practice.

In addition to her busy professional career, Bea loved to spend time with her family. They went on many vacations, packing up the station wagon and pulling a popup trailer to destinations such as the Florida Keys, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. They owned a Daysailer sailboat and spent many weekends cruising on the lakes around DFW. Bea also liked taking the family to all kinds of local plays and concerts.

Holidays were also an important time to spend with family and friends. When the kids were younger, Bea and family would always spend Christmas with her parents and her brother’s family. As her kids got older with families of their own, Bea liked to host big Thanksgiving dinners and Easter egg hunts for the grandkids. She also had many cherished friends and was a member of the First Methodist Church in Richland Hills and later in Hurst.

Bea’s parents, brother and husband have all now passed. She is survived by her three children, Craig Matheny, Karen Matheny Clary and Kevin Matheny. Other family include: Craig’s wife Drue and his son Chase. Karen’s husband Milton, their daughter Rachel Nichols, her husband Chad and their two children, Leo and Eliya. Kevin’s son Michael Thibodeaux, his wife Brittani and their three children, Brooke, Kennedy and Wyatt. And Kevin’s daughter, Caitlin Matheny.

A funeral for Beatrice will be held Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 12:00 PM at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home, 5725 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, TX 76034. Following the funeral will be a committal service at 1:00 PM at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park, 5725 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, TX 76034.