Sosamma Mathew (Lizi) passed on peacefully, at home, surrounded by family, on Friday, April 7th at the age of 78. Born in 1944 in Edathua, Kerala, India, she was the 9th child of her father, M.T. Mathew and her mother, Rachel Mathew. She married Babu Mathew in 1971, and their loving marriage lasted over 52 years at the time of her passing.
Lizi went to nursing school at Vellore Medical College in Tamil Nadu. After completing her education, she looked for work in the United States, seeking a better life. She applied for and was offered a job by Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. In 1968, she travelled there to begin her nursing career.
She worked for over 37 years as a registered nurse at Parkland Hospital and Medical City Hospital in Dallas and Clear Lake Regional Hospital in Houston. Lizi retired from nursing in 2005, and in 2015 she moved to Austin to be closer to her children and to help raise her grandchildren.
Devout Christians, Lizi and Babu were actively involved in the Mar Thoma Church, first in Dallas, then Houston, and finally in Austin. She loved to study the Bible and to analyze verses. Many of the younger women at the church mentioned she was a mentor to them. Her passions included health and nutrition, gardening, crocheting, sewing, Sudoku puzzles, and watching Jeopardy.
She was steadfast in her faith, leaning on the Lord in times of emotional and physical distress. She was dedicated to service and had a heart for hospitality, inviting friends, neighbors, and sometimes even strangers for a meal in her home.
Lizi Mathew is survived by and will be dearly missed by her husband Babu, three beloved children Betzi, Brina and Brad, sons-in-law Anthony and Shailesh and daughter-in-law Teressa, as well as six precious
grandchildren—Keira, Rekha, Gavin, Anjali, Aryana and Benjamin. She is also survived by her brother Abraham Mathew (Baby) and numerous nephews and nieces living in the US, Canada, and in India.
The funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., on Friday, April 14, 2023 in The Austin Mar Thoma Church, 2222 Downing Lane, Leander, Texas 78641. The procession from Austin Mar Thoma Church will leave at 1:30 p.m., heading to the Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery with a graveside service starting around 2:00 p.m.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com for the Mathew family.
PALLBEARERS
Suraj Jacob
Shailesh Patel
Antony Cherian
Rishi Mathew
Amju Jacob
Sathesh Mathew
Sherry Jacob
Toby Varghese
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