Crystal "Chris" Cox Matthews Davis

November 19, 1964 – June 28, 2026

Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

"Our Father refreshes us on our journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home." — The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis

Crystal "Chris" Cox Matthews Davis, age 61, passed away on June 28, 2026 at her home. She was raised in the Woodville community by her parents the late Shelby Cox and Tina Roberson.

Chris married early in life to Lee Matthews. She lived in Blytheville, Arkansas during the time Lee was stationed there in the Air Force. She later attended cosmetology school and worked as a hairstylist, both for herself and others. In her 20s and 30s she also worked as a store clerk in several local stores. Chris had a deeply caring heart and served as a caregiver to several people, including devotedly taking care of her mother in her final years.

She possessed a natural gift for interior design and floral arrangements, and she always loved calling family to go decorate gravesites together. Chris enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: playing cards and dominos with a spirited, competitive drive, watching classic TV shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Gunsmoke, enjoying chess pie, and keeping the store shelves cleared of Diet Dr Pepper. She will be long remembered for having that distinct Cox dry sense of humor.

Throughout her life, Chris faced immense personal and physical trials. Beginning in her 20s, she endured multiple neck, head, and brain surgeries and radiation treatments that ultimately contributed to poor health and physical paralysis. Her last major surgery and radiation took place in 2014. That same year, she endured the profound heartbreak of losing her first son, Justin, at the age of 32. In 2018, she lost her second son Lee, to a prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 38. The walls of her home were a shrine to God and her children and it was prayer that sustained her.

Following her 2014 health battles, Chris was on disability and survived by meager means. She had little rest or periods of refreshment during her life, and little earthly reason to love this world, but she always looked forward with faith to that New Day when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev 21:4

Chris is survived by a brother, Bret Cox (Sherry) of Henderson and four grandchildren to cherish her memory: Ashton Shelby Matthews Finch, William Landon Matthews, Ethan Gregory Matthews, and Jacob Daniel Matthews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two sons, Lee, Jr. and Justin, two brothers, Allen and Bart, and three sisters, Cynthia, Sheila and Lisa.

A memorial service will be at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church on Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, 6185 Rowsey School Rd., Bethel Springs, TN 38315