In 1956 the Matlocks joined the Foreign Service and were posted in following years to Vienna, Oberammergau, Moscow, Accra, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam.
During their final tour they lived at Spaso House in Moscow until 1991 and their retirement from the Foreign Service.
After leaving the Foreign Service they lived for five years in North Stonington, Connecticut, and New York City; and then moved to Princeton, New Jersey.
In 2009 she was named Honorary Trustee of the Friends of Davis International Center of Princeton University.
[5] In later years the Matlocks divided their time between a home in Princeton and her family farm in Booneville, Tennessee.