Obituary of Susan Mathews

Susan Mathews (Kunjamma), age 90, passed away peacefully on Monday, July, 8th, 2019. She was born on Sept. 8, 1928, in Kerala, India. A member of the Koipatharayil House, Pennukkara, Kerala, she was the daughter of the late K.N. Mathai and the late Rachel Mathai. Susan was a loving and devoted wife to her late husband, A.P. Mathai. She was a wonderful mother to her sons, Sunil Mathews and Anil Mathews, and her daughters-in-law, Jessy Mathews and Sini Mathews. She was a loving and caring grandmother to her five grandchildren: Kevin, Steven, Jacob, Hannah and Kayla. Susan's siblings are the late K.M. Oommen, Annamma Alexander, Rachel Mathews, and the late Saramma Jacob. Susan was an excellent student and earned her B.Sc. in Nursing from Vellore Christian Medical College. She then completed her Masters in Nursing(MSN) at Wayne State University, before going on to Ph.D. studies at New York University. Susan worked as a Senior Sister Tutor and subsequently as the Principal of M.Y. Nursing College in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. From the early 1970s on to her retirement, she worked in the teaching department of Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY as a Nursing Instructor. She loved to teach and help her students develop in their professional identity as nurses. During her early days in Indore, she and her husband A.P. Mathai opened the doors of their home for weekly prayer meetings and were instrumental in the spiritual growth of many young people. St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India Sunday worship services were also held at their home in Indore. They continued that practice when they moved to New York, where their home in Brooklyn was always open for ecumenical prayer meetings. An outgrowth of these prayer meetings still continues today with yearly camp meetings held throughout the northeastern United States. Susan was very compassionate and strived to help anyone in need. While working as a healthcare professional, she was a source of help to many family members and friends. She was well-loved by her in-laws and they have great appreciation for all that she did for them. She and her husband were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, NY. Later she was a member of the Christian Church of Canarsie and then moved on to the N.Y. Pentecostal Assembly of Staten Island led by her cousin, Rev. Thomas Abraham. She was baptized by Rev. Abraham in the Jordan River where she professed her life changing testimony of Jesus Christ. Susan was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother. She enjoyed reading and loved giving to charities. She enjoyed attending ecumenical prayer meetings and many churches called her regularly for their prayer groups. She moved with grace, elegance, and poise. Above all, God was at the forefront of her conversations andshe was a living testimony of God's power in her life. She will be deeply missed by her family and her friends. Funeral Service at the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Tuesday, 7/l6, at 10 am. Interment to follow in Moravian Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to visit on Monday, 7/15, from 4:00 to 9:00 pm.