Dave Matthews’ mother Valerie dead with 89

Dave Matthews’ mother Valerie, an architect and social activist who overcame the personal tragedy to appreciate the joys in life. She was 89.

Valerie died on Sunday, February 9th, in her house in Charlottesville, Virginia, after a fight against Alzheimer’s disease, such as an online aftercall on Tuesday, February 18.

Her death came a little more than a week after Matthews, 58, had planned from a planned performance on January 30 at Fireaid Benefit concert in Los Angeles, citing a “critical illness in the family”.

“Vals children, grandchildren and great -grandchildren could gather around them in the days before their death. It was a time of great sadness, but also a joy, full of laughter, music and stories, ”read her obituary. “Vals friendliness, grace and humor seemed to end until the end. Your family will always appreciate together this time. ”

Valerie was born in Potchefstrroom, South Africa, the son of a geologist and artist and acquired a degree in architecture at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

She married John Matthews in 1961, and the family – together with her children Dave, Peter, Anne and Jane – settled in Charlottesville when John’s work brought him to the University of Virginia. The couple was married 15 years before John’s death at the age of 45 by Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The tragedy joined Valerie again in 1994 when her daughter Anne (29) was killed by her husband, who later died of suicide and left her two little children behind.

“Although Anne’s death was destroyed, Val entered the violation, gained custody for her grandchildren and brought them back to Charlottesville, where they were hugged by the extended family,” says the obit. “Val has no tragedy or grief approved to define them.

Valerie worked in the Hayward, Llorens and Boyd company until she retired in 1994, and she loved nature, poetry and watercolor images as she did.

“Val was a passionate advocate of peace, environmental protection, the equality of marriage and the rights of women who are never afraid of using their voice,” says her obit. “She spoke through social activism and frequent letters to the editor against racism, bigotry and little things.”

She is survived by Dave and his wife Ashley, the son Peter and his wife Kathleen, his daughter Jane and her husband Sam, six grandchildren and a great -grandchild. She died by John, Ashley and her second husband, Lee Strait, whom she married in 1991. He died in a stroke in 2000.