Carolyn Lois Mathias

Carolyn Lois (Bakker) Mathias, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on January 13, 2026, in Walnut Creek, California, at the age of 84.

Carolyn was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1941, to John and Anne (Vandervelde) Bakker. She attended Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Illinois, where she graduated seventh in a class of 126. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and later completed her Master of Arts in Teaching at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

She began her career as a teacher in Detroit before moving to San Francisco to be with Ron Mathias, whom she had met at Simpson College. In San Francisco, she worked for Blue Shield before she and Ron married in 1971. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Belgium, beginning a life of shared adventure.

Throughout her life, Carolyn wore a lot of hats, including devoted wife and mother, teacher, and secretary. She lived in many places over the years including Illinois, Iowa, Washington, D.C., Michigan, California, Texas, Belgium, Pakistan, Greece, and Saudi Arabia. These experiences deepened her appreciation for people and cultures around the world. One of her favorite places was Skopelos, Greece, where she and Ron purchased a house in 2005 as a retirement project and spent many stretches of time there together.

Carolyn was known for her love of people, her talent in the kitchen, her enthusiasm for book club, and her thoughtful creation of photo albums that preserved memories for family and friends.

She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Ron Mathias of Alamo, California; her son, John; her daughter, Allison Halvorson of Walnut Creek, California; and her grandson, Gray Halvorson, also of Walnut Creek.

Any donations can be made in her honor to, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region.

https://www.mowdiabloregion.org/

390 N Wiget Ln, Suite 200

Walnut Creek, CA 94598