Teri Sue Matheny, daughter of George Kenneth and Annie Laurie Drake, was born in Red Oak, Iowa, on November 30, 1958. With her family by her side, she passed away on March 17, 2022, in Hutto, Texas, following a short battle with cancer. She was 63 years of age.

In the spring of 1959, as a baby, Teri’s family moved to the family farm in Lineville, Iowa, where she attended school until her freshman year of high school. They then moved to Essex, Iowa where she attended high school and graduated with the class of 1977. During her high school years, she was devoted to softball, basketball, and music; she played the piano beautifully, oftentimes accompanying at church.

In 1978, she started a family in nearby Imogene, Iowa, with her former spouse Jerry Meyer. They had two children, Casey Daniel and Tiffany Ellen. In 1984, she relocated to the west coast where she married her soul mate, Dave Matheny. She became a second mom to his children Dillon, Trevor, Gunar, and Billie, and they welcomed a son, David Judd in 1986.

Teri enjoyed a rewarding career at Dell Computers where she impacted the personal and professional life of many employees and co-workers. Following an opportunity for promotion, she and Dave relocated to Round Rock, Texas, and she continued her job with Dell as a Global Alliance Manager. After succeeding at Dell, she took on the role of International Event Manager at Forcepoint Security in Round Rock, Texas. She enjoyed developing overseas relationships and talked highly of a trip she took to Spain, where she hosted an event and made lasting friendships, as she did everywhere she went. 

As an avid lover of Huskies, she also volunteered at Texas Husky Rescue where she served as a board member and medical director.

After a brief stab at early retirement Teri found she truly enjoyed staying busy and her love of animals shined bright again, bringing her to a non-profit organization, Austin Pets Alive!, where she worked as the Dog Foster Manager. 

During the last couple of years, she enjoyed spending part of her time in a second home in Essex close to family and friends. She would count down the days until the next road trip up and enjoyed the time on the road with Dave and her pups Vivi and Lacey.

As a mother, Teri was generous, loving, and kind. The only thing she loved more than spending time with her kids was being with her grandkids. “My sweet Grands”, she would call them. She made friends everywhere she went and was not afraid to speak her mind. Her kind smile, lending ear for anyone who needed it, and her ability to throw out a quick witty comment for laughs will be missed by so many.  

Preceding her in death were her parents; brother, Jim Drake; sister, Mary Jo Waddle; and two brothers-in-law, Leland Tillman and Dan Correll. She is survived by her husband, Dave Matheny of Hutto, Texas; her three children, Casey Meyer and wife Katrina of Papillion, Nebraska, Tiffany Doyle and husband Pete of Imogene, Iowa, and David Judd Matheny of Hutto, Texas; four step-children, Dillon Matheny of Scottsdale, Arizona, Trevor Matheny and wife Ebru of Mesa, Arizona, Gunar Matheny and wife Kerri Matheny of Edmond, Oklahoma and Billie Koester and husband Andy of Story City, Iowa; her four-legged children, Lacey Jane and Vivi Rae; and ten grandchildren.  Also surviving are two sisters, Pat Tillman and Sandra Correll, both of Essex, Iowa; two brothers, Gerry Drake and wife Alice of Coon Rapids, Iowa, and Don Drake and wife Nancy of Wilton, Iowa; and sister-in-law; Judy Drake of Papillion, Nebraska; other relatives; and many friends.

A private burial will be held at the Essex Cemetery in Essex, Iowa.  A public celebration of life gathering for Teri is going to be held from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Elm St. Grill (Shenandoah American Legion), 1800 S Elm St, Shenandoah, IA 51601.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Austin Pets Alive! https://www.austinpetsalive.org/donate/donate-tributes or locally, People for Paws in Shenandoah, Iowa.