Deborah L. (Tyler) Matthews, 70, passed away on April 14, 2021, in Sturgis, South Dakota. Debbie was born in Peoria, IL, but grew up in Overland Park, KS. Debbie received her undergraduate degree in early childhood education from Kansas State University and her master's degree in severe multiple disabilities from the University of Kansas. Her life's work was teaching children with special needs, including those who were severely multiply handicapped and deaf/blind, in Eudora, Three Lakes, Lyndon, and Blue Valley School Districts in Kansas. After teaching for many years, Debbie went to work for the Kansas Department of Education, where she was a field-based consultant for KSDE, a certified Visually Impaired In-service in America (VIISA) trainer for the KS Deaf-Blind Project, an education program consultant with an emphasis in testing for children with special needs, and a specialist in alternate assessments for students with disabilities in Kansas. She was president of the Kansas chapter of The Association of the Severely Handicapped (TASH) for two years and contributed to many state and national publications.

Not long after her retirement in 2018, Deb moved from Lenexa, KS to Colorado to be close to her son Tyler, daughter-in-law Shawna, and their two boys, who she talked about to anyone who would listen. While in Colorado, Deb also served as an educational consultant for the Colorado Department of Education for students and their families, and for educators of students with significant disabilities.

Deb loved to travel and has been all over the United States (and a few places outside the US) through her work and with friends and family. She recently traveled for several months with her sister, Diane in a Winnebago (fondly known as "The Buggy"). Debbie's main priority was her family. She loved spending time with them. She was blessed with two grandsons, Killian and Cooper. Debbie also loved animals and had many pets, including several rescue dogs and cats. Debbie spent her life in pursuit of equality for those with special needs and live music with friends.

Debbie was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Sovereign Tyler.

She is survived by her father, Don Tyler and wife, Dorothy Ann; her brother, David Tyler (Janet); her sister, Diane Tyler; her brother, Dean Tyler (Denise); son, Tyler Matthews (Shawna); and grandsons, Killian and Cooper. She is also survived by a niece, Erica Clausen (Alex) and their son Cayden; and nephew, Austin (Kiah Fricker).

A celebration of life for Debbie will be held at Hereford House in Leawood, KS on May 1 from 2—4 pm. Donations in Debbie's memory can be made to: https://gofund.me/603eb5e8 ; the robotic feeder that helped Debbie stay independent in her final months will be purchased to loan to others with ALS at no cost in her memory.