BEULAH MATCZAK ~ A TRUE LEADER – Community Spotlight
A well-known resident of Waynedale for 40 years Beulah Matczak, has been dubbed by many as the “unofficial Mayor of Waynedale”. She is a warm and generous leader with a huge smile and infectious laugh who is dedicated to making Waynedale an inviting community in which to reside.
Beulah moved to Waynedale in 1976 when her husband transferred for employment and she loved the small town feel. After 30 years as a quality specialist with NYX Fort Wayne, formerly known as National Plastics, Beulah retired. When her first husband passed away, Beulah was blessed to find another wonderful man in Sam and they have been married for seven years. Sam retired from the Air Force as Chief Master Sergeant after serving 31 years. Between both they have three children, John who resides in Ohio, Betty and Carl who both live in Fort Wayne.
Something that may surprise you is that Beulah enjoys watching old Western movies starring John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Tom Selleck. She also likes antiquing and taking road trips such as to the Smokey Mountains. Beulah laughingly recalls a really fast duck boat ride she and Sam took in Branson, Missouri complete with duck calls. But what really impressed her was that at the end of each show they attended in Branson, the performers honored the Veterans in the audience. That makes perfect sense as Beulah is an active member of the American Legion Post #241 Auxiliary.
She is President of the Waynedale Community Improvement Team, President of Southeast Waynedale Neighborhood Association, a member of the Waynedale Business Chamber and serves on the Fort Wayne Sewer Advisory Group. In her “spare time”, Beulah sits on the Waynedale Trails and Sidewalks Initiative committee, supports the annual Kingston Trunk or Treat fundraiser for the Trails and most recently organized a successful bake sale for the Lions Club “Food for Shoes” fish fry fundraiser.
One of Beulah’s first major endeavors was organizing the Waynedale annual picnic. She and Cheryl Connett teamed up to stage the popular event from 2003 through 2014. They have since passed the reins on to Megan Ryan, but both continue to coordinate the annual Easter Egg Hunt and most recently a Christmas event at Post #241 that included trolley rides.
Beulah loves to read and has a large bell collection, her favorite being an Independence Bell. She and Sam call St. Therese their church home. Beulah is very humble about all her volunteer efforts stating, “My mom passed away when I was only seven years old and the community I lived in all encouraged us with their love and support. I like being able to give back and I enjoy helping Waynedale thrive.”
To encourage and promote positive action in the area, this Community Spotlight column will highlight a different notable member of the community each month. If you or someone you know is a community leader and is an active volunteer in the Waynedale area, please nominate them by emailing news@waynedalenews.com with details of how they are helping the community for consideration in an upcoming article.
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