Obituaries : Couple and Grandchild Are Killed in Car Accident

WOODLAND HILLS —  Marvin K. Matthews, a Woodland Hills certified public accountant, and his wife, Phyllis, were killed in a car accident Dec. 28. He was 73, she was 71.

They were returning from a holiday trip visiting their daughter, Ruth Weber of Santa Cruz, and son, Jim Matthews of Aptos. His daughter Catherine, 8, also perished in the crash.

According to Jim Matthews, his parents and daughter were on U.S. 101 near Goleta when his mother apparently fell asleep at the wheel. Witnesses said the car drifted off the road. As it approached a ravine, it passed over a log, which cut open the fuel tank, then crashed into a eucalyptus tree, turned over and exploded.

The couple had lived in Woodland Hills since 1984.

Matthews was raised on a farm in Camden, Mo. After serving briefly in the Navy during World War II, he attended the University of Missouri, where he earned his accounting degree. Matthews worked for several companies before setting up a private accounting practice in Kansas City.

In 1954, Matthews married longtime sweetheart Phyllis, whose sister was married to his older brother.

In 1968, the family moved to San Marino, where Matthews specialized in federal bankruptcy cases for about 10 years before he and Phyllis returned to Kansas City. They came back to California six years later.

An avid gardener and world traveler, Matthews was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

In addition to his son and daughter, Matthews is survived by a brother, Wilbert Matthews of Richmond, Mo.; and two grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Marvin and Phyllis Matthews Memorial Fund, c/o San Marino Community Church, 1750 Virginia Road, San Marino CA 91108. A funeral for the couple was held Monday. A service for Catherine was held Friday.