NYC Woman Who Took Cab To Arizona Dies

The New York woman who made national headlines in April when she and her husband took a cross-country taxi ride to their new retirement home in Sedona, Ariz., has died.

Betty Matas, who was 75, died Monday from pneumonia and a heart attack. She had been hospitalized for two weeks with severe kidney and heart problems, her husband, Bob Matas, said Wednesday.

Although she had health problems before moving from Queens, the couple were happy about making the 2,500-mile journey.

"She never regretted it," Bob Matas said. "That was her last year, and that's what she really wanted to do."

The two hired New York cab driver Douglas Guldeniz to drive them the entire way to spare their two cats from a trip in an airplane's cargo hold. Both spent their lives in the New York area and never learned to drive.

They left April 10 in Guldeniz's canary-colored Ford SUV cab and traveled about 10 hours a day for a $3,000 flat rate plus gas, meals and lodging. They arrived in Sedona almost a week later.

Guldeniz said he had originally agreed to the cross-country trip because of the rapport he felt with them.

"I (wanted) to try and help Bob and Betty. When I see Bob and Betty, we like each other. They like me, I like them," Guldeniz said.

The couple met Guldeniz in January, when they hailed his taxi in Manhattan after a shopping trip. They later jokingly invited him to come along on their upcoming move.

As the three talked over the ensuing weeks, the gag became reality.

Bob Matas, a former audio and video engineer for advertising agencies, said he would keep taking care of both cats, Pretty Face and Cleopatra, and they were doing well.

Betty Matas was born Aug. 5, 1932, in Queens and lived most of her life there, working for 38 years as an executive secretary to the president of Klemptner Advertising. Her funeral will be held Friday in Sedona.

Bob Matas will remain in Sedona. He said his wife's charm and personality helped them make friends in the short time they lived there.

"It's kind of hard to explain. You have it or you don't. And she had it," he said. "Everybody was drawn to her."