Claiborne Parish resident born in 1925 celebrates turning 100 years oldKTAL ShreveportErykah AgersSeptember 29, 2025 at 10:31 PM 1 CLAIBORNE PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Omega Reed Matthews, a native of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, is set to celebrate a momentous occasion, her 100th birthday.
- - Claiborne Parish resident born in 1925 celebrates turning 100 years oldKTAL ShreveportErykah AgersSeptember 29, 2025 at 10:31 PM
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CLAIBORNE PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Omega Reed Matthews, a native of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, is set to celebrate a momentous occasion, her 100th birthday.
Omega Reed Matthews Claiborne Parish Centenarian
Her granddaughter, Christina Matthews-Saunders, shares with us the details of her grandmother's full century on this Earth and her connection to early Claiborne settlers.
Omega Reed was born to Judge and Sudie Reed in Haynesville, Louisiana, on September 27, 1925.
Her family says Matthews is the youngest of twelve and the last surviving great-grandchild of Lemiah Christopher Columbus Adkins a Claiborne farm owner and a slave named Mariah.
Lemiah Christopher Columbus Adkins swapped room and board for artwork of Hungry traveler
She is also the last surviving grandchild of slaves Elijah Adkins Reed and Amanda Reed.
Her grandfather, Elijah, told his children and grandchildren how the Adkins family and their slaves came to settle in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, around 1852, after one of the ox-driven wagons they were traveling in broke down on the way from Georgia to Texas.
Omega's Paternal Grandparents Elijah Adkins Reed & Amanda (Whitt) Reed
Matthews's grandparents were only in their early twenties when slavery was abolished.
She says, "My father was a member of a Caucasian family…and he always taught us to treat others as you wish them to treat you. He taught us to love our family."
A key lesson from her parents she has continued to carry throughout her life.
Omega Reed's Parents Judge & Sudie Reed
When her father died in 1944, Matthews's siblings relocated the then nineteen-year-old to Los Angeles, California.
When asked what it was like moving from the family-owned farm in Homer, Louisiana, to the city of Los Angeles, Matthews says the decision was based on survival, "Well, it wasn't easy, right? But I knew that I couldn't stay there by myself. I wasn't old enough, and I needed the assistance of my elder siblings."
With every challenge that came her way, Matthews always rose to the occasion, adjusting to life in the big city with grace and determination. "I didn't want to be a burden on [siblings]. I was always a little independent, maybe a little too independent, but I wanted to earn my own way," she explained.
Matthews's search for independence led her to become an inspector for an aircraft parts manufacturer. This was something many of her descendants were unaware of until nearly twenty years ago.
"I remember several of us being in shock reading the program created for her 80th birthday celebration. We had no idea that Grandma had ever worked outside of the home," her granddaughter, Christina Matthews, shared. "It was not until I decided to update her bio and saw the program again after all of these years that I realized the significance of her job. 'Grandma you're a living Rosie the Riveter, and you never told us,' I said."
The remarks come as a reminder of the time period.
Christina says that when she asked Matthews if she knew how amazing what she had done to help the country during World War II was, her answer was "well, no." Matthews states, "I was just doing what I thought was right and needed to be done at the time."
Like a lot of women during the 1940s and 50s, Matthews's time in the workforce was relatively short.
After traveling from Los Angeles to Dayton, Ohio, to assist her sister Amanda with her young children for what was intended to be a short-term stay, she met and married Herbert Matthews Sr. in 1947.
Omega & Herbert's Wedding Day, February 27, 1947
Her family says while being a wife and mother, Matthews continued to be a beacon in the Dayton community.
Omega & Herbert Matthews with Eldest 4 Children 1957
From attending PTA meetings to opening her home to family and friends, to serving as pianist and organist at her church to her work as a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, she has impacted many lives.
As for the secret to living long enough to become a centenarian, Matthews says, "God does that. We do what we know we should do and then let go and let God."
Taking the lead on family reunions for over six decades and establishing block parties in her Edgemont community, her family plans to surprise her with her very own block party to celebrate her milestone birthday.
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