Ira Neill Mathews

Ira Neill Mathews, Nyssa, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 20, 2016. Memorial services will be held at the Butte Baptist Church, 3848 Butte Drive, Ontario, Oregon on February 27th at 2:00 p.m. Neill was born July 2, 1923 at New Plymouth, Idaho to Ira and Harriet (Hattie) Mathews. He lived in New Plymouth where he attended 12 years of school, graduating in 1941. On June 2, 1942 he married Anne Adele Bean. They owned a Registered Jersey farm north of New Plymouth until their move to Nyssa in 1971. He served as the state Jersey Cattle Club President for a number of years and showed his Registered Jerseys from the Cow Palace in San Francisco to the National Jersey Show in Columbus, Ohio. In 1977, he and his wife Anne Adele opened a Group Home for boys, and for more than eight years provided their home and love for 50 young men. Neill taught the boys to work and succeed in school and sports, and was instrumental in helping 26 of them to accept Christ's gift of Salvation. Many still wrote, called, and visited, and some of their children referred to Neill as Grandpa. In New Plymouth and Nyssa Neill served as deacon, Sunday School Superintendent, and teacher. He served on the Idaho Conservative Baptist Association cabinet for many years and as its Moderator for several years where he helped establish Conservative Baptist Churches in Nyssa, Weiser, Emmett and Burley. He was also very involved in helping start, sponsor, build, serve, counsel and cook at the Conservative Baptist Camp in Warm Lake, Idaho and counseled young men there and at the Shiloh Bible Camp at Donnelly, Idaho. He was instrumental in starting and leading the Awana program for boys and girls in New Plymouth and Nyssa Conservative Baptist Churches. He was a member of the Butte Baptist Church in Ontario at the time of his death. Neill joined the Ore-Ida Camp of The Gideons International in 1973 and enjoyed serving in several offices in the local camp and the Idaho-Utah Gideon Association. He was Memorial Bible Chairman for the Idaho-Utah Gideon for three-year periods. One of his great pleasures was distributing Bibles in motels in the camp area from Jordan Valley, Oregon to Riggins, Idaho; Testaments on campuses of Treasure Valley Community College, Albertson's College, and Boise State University; hospital testaments in Ontario, Nyssa, Weiser, and McCall and to Nursing Homes in Nyssa, Ontario, Vale, and Weiser. He especially enjoyed the privilege of offering testaments to the school children--to the 5th grade students in the classrooms until this type of distribution was no longer allowed, and later to the students on the sidewalks around the schools. He also loved to represent The Gideons as a church speaker where he met many wonderful people who loved the Lord. He and his wife, Anne Adele, enjoyed attending two International Gideon Conventions, one in Chicago and the other in Orlando. June 2, 2007, the Family of Neill and Anne Adele sponsored a celebration of their parents 65th Wedding Anniversary, and June 2, 2012 their 70th. Survivors include his wife, Anne Adele, three sons, Mike (Sharon) of Weiser, Tim (Donna) of Jerome, and Bob (Susie) of New Plymouth; two daughters, Patricia (Steve) Looney of Parma, and Rebecca (David) Jordan of Adrian; Grandchildren and spouses: Andy (Jessica) Mathews, Zareena Mathews (Jeff) Shinn, Jonathan Mathews, Rodney (Maria) Werner, Amy Werner (Brad) Bowman, Megan Looney (Brian) Dennison, Jennifer Mathews (Wayne) Garcia, Brian (Elise) Mathews, Kate Mathews (Danny) Ortega, Elizabeth Mathews (Michael) Olson, LeAnne Jordan, Richard (Hope) Jordan, and LaDawn Jordan (Nathan) Bayes; Great-grandchildren, Chavela, Cheyenne, Hunter, Madeleine, Samuel, Josie, Jayley Mathews, Elise Shinn, Caden and Lainey Werner, Lukas and Ella Bowman, Mckenzie Dennison, Tyler and Timothy Garcia, Caroline and Christopher Ortega, Evalyn and Rafe Olson. Levi Obendorf, Izzabella, Garrett and Avaleigh Engleman, Carter, Trey, Taggart, and TyReed Bayes, Rance and Brayson Jordan; Two sisters-in-law, Virginia Cisney of Ontario and Barbara (Bill) Carpenter of Meridian, and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Neill was preceded in death by a stillborn infant son, a daughter, Peggy, a granddaughter, Sherrie Mae Mathews, two great grandsons, baby Dennison and Jeremiah Mathews; two sisters, Ferne Amick and Phyllis Grasty, five brothers-in-law, Earl Wood, Herb Wayne, Gene Grasty, Claire Cisney, and Del Rice and a sister-in-law, Arlene Rice. Suggested memorials: The Gideons International, Box 507, Ontario, Oregon 97914. Service Details. Service When: Saturday, February 27th, 2016 Location: Funeral Home Address: