Judith Matthews

I had dinner with the Godfreys in early August (the first since Christmas) and they told me in passing that Judith Matthews had passed away last July 2006. Her Visiting Teachers had attempted to contact Judith repeatedly to no avail, so they called the police to check on her and that was when they found her body in her apartment. It looked like she had purposefully overdosed on her medication and from the decomposition of the body, the police/medics thought she had been dead for about three weeks, which was about the last time her Visiting Teachers had last visited her. They notified the Godfreys as they were her emergency contact. Judith didn't leave a note; however, she did have some kind of will that expressed her wishes on how to dispose of her property and remains. No obituary, she was cremated and her ashes sent to a childhood friend for him to scatter at a place where they used to play as children.

Although not surprised that Judith had taken her own life, the news of her death was unexpected. I knew Judith from when I was her roommate for a few months in NYC. She was a very interesting lady. A large woman, she claimed to have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome among other ailments. Very strong minded. Fascinated with the Middle East where she had once lived and worked. Lonely ... I remember her internet dating in 1995 before such a thing was even common place or popular. I could see from my last encounter with her that she was depressed and anti-social. Just made me wonder if there was anything that could've been done to help her out. How much of the desperation she must have felt during the end of her life was of her own doing? How did she get so depressed that taking her life was the only option out?