Gladys Jean "Honey" (Frantz) Matz

Gladys Jean “Honey” Frantz Matz (January 5, 1950 – April 7, 2025)

Gladys Jean, daughter of George James and Gladys Lydia (nee Pomeroy of Brixham, England) Frantz passed away peacefully on April 7, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Affectionally known as Honey by many who knew her, Gladys was born in Pottsville and raised in Port Carbon.  She was a proud life-long Port Carbon resident, having only moved once, and that was to a home across the street.  She could readily tell you not only who most people in Port Carbon were, but she often also knew the names of their parents and grandparents.  She graduated from Pottsville Area High School in 1967. 

Honey worked for many years at ACME Market in Pottsville, and during that time she was proud to hold a second job as a bank teller at the Miners National Bank.  She also worked for Meals on Wheels and later in her career she was a cafeteria aide at the John S. Clarke Elementary School in Pottsville. Honey thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the neighborhood kids in the cafeteria at JSC, and she loved Halloween time, when she brought in several of her Halloween decorations and dressed in costume.  She fully committed one year to being Sponge Bob Square Pants, to kids’ delight. 

She was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church in Port Carbon, where she and her husband Joe were married the day after Christmas 1976.  She was an active church board member and worked as the church’s bookkeeper and custodian for many years.  After the First United’s unfortunate closure, she and Joe actively attended the United Presbyterian Church in Pottsville, PA. 

Honey never let the grass grow under her feet.  She and her Joe made many routine trips, especially in their retirement, from Friday afternoons at Texas Roadhouse, Saturday mornings at Cracker Barrell, to Thursday bus trips to the casino.  She often insisted on a regular table and became friendly with servers and staff, which meant that she would get to know about her server’s entire family and give them a gift at Christmas. 

Honey was an avid Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles fan, as well as a Penn State football fan.  She and Joe enjoyed many trips to see the Phillies play, including during spring training in Florida.  Honey’s final day was spent listening to the Phillies beat the Dodgers.   

Just as much as watching the Phillies play, Honey enjoyed flower arranging as a hobby, and those she loved were often gifted her beautiful flower arrangements on holidays and special occasions. 

She was a devoted mother to her two children, Jillian and George, and an especially devoted nanny to her two grandchildren, Avery and Gavin.  She thought nothing of making weekly drives to Virginia and then Maryland to help take care of Avery and Gavin, always with gifts in tow.  She enjoyed being Aunt Hon to her sister Pamela’s children, Jerry, Todd, Brent and Severine, and to her brother’s son George.  She adored her four-legged companions, including her dog Lucy, and grand-doggies Zoe, Gracie, and Quincy, who no doubt were there to greet her in heaven. 

She was preceded in death by her parents George and Gladys, her sister Pamela Setlock, wife of Jerome Setlock (d), and her nephew and godchild Todd Setlock. 

Honey is survived by her devoted husband of 48 years, Joseph Matz; her brother George of Schuylkill Haven; her daughter Jillian, wife of Darnell Alexander, both of Upperco, Maryland; granddaughter Avery; grandson Gavin; her son George of Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania; step-son Joseph Matz of Pottsville, father to Madeline (Pottsville) and Julia (Wilkes Barre); sister-in-law Helen Brennan (Matz) of Dauphin, Pennsylvania; many nieces and nephews; and great nieces and nephews. 

Friends and family are invited to attend visitation on Friday, April 25^th, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the United Presbyterian Church, Mahantongo Street, Pottsville, PA.  A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at the Church with internment to follow at the Schuylkill Memorial Cemetery in Schuylkill Haven.