Activism
IN MEMORIAM: Jonathan Donald Matthews, 47
Matthews used his legal training to serve the community, and to help those in need. He served as the director of The Brazilian Alliance from 2008 to 2020, where he helped to bring 3,000 undocumented immigrants to become fully legal green-card holders. He saved a dozen families from extreme domestic violence issues and protected about 30 women going through difficult divorce cases and the rights of their children. He also represented and help change the lives of many in the Marin County’s Latinx community.
By Godfrey Lee
Jonathan Donald Matthews, an active member of Village Baptist Church and an attorney, passed away at age 47 on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. A Celebration of Life Ceremony was held on Jan. 7, 2023, at the Cornerstone Community Church of God in Christ in Marin City, and was officiated by Bishop Jonathan D. Logan, Sr. and Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Akognon, according to the ceremony’s program.
Matthews was born on Jan. 11, 1975, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to Marin City in August of that year.
After graduating from Marin Catholic High School in 1992, Matthews attended and graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1996, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and history. He later graduated from the Stanford Law School in 1999 and passed the Bar in 2004.
Matthews became an active member of Village Baptist Church as a child. He was ordained in 2005 to serve as a deacon, and later as the chairman of the deacons’ board. He also served on the Board of Elders. He led the church ministry team, co-led the church management team, and headed the cell group for the Wednesday Bible Study Ministry. He also taught Sunday School for several years and took the children for outings.
Matthews served on the Village Oduduwa Housing Corporation of Marin City, which is the housing ministry of the church governing and administrating the 25-unit senior housing on the church property, and on the board of the Better Africa Foundation, the church’s multi-ministry in West Africa. He also managed the church’s food pantry and the ministry to the homeless for many years.
Matthews used his legal training to serve the community, and to help those in need. He served as the director of The Brazilian Alliance from 2008 to 2020, where he helped to bring 3,000 undocumented immigrants to become fully legal green-card holders. He saved a dozen families from extreme domestic violence issues and protected about 30 women going through difficult divorce cases and the rights of their children. He also represented and help change the lives of many in the Marin County’s Latinx community.
Matthews tutored math and helped several people to prepare for math tests in order to secure apprenticeships or licenses.
Matthews leaves behind his wife, Krystie; mother Carolyn; father Donald; brother William and; sister Joanna Paun (John) ; and his sister Faith, who wrote: “I’m going to miss learning new ways of being a good human from him, ways of being kind and caring toward everyone who needs looking after, and small gestures that can make a huge difference and leave a lasting impression…I know he will live on in the hearts of many and leave a legacy in this world that other can continue be inspired by.”
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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