December 15, 2010
REST IN PEACE
Henry (Hank) Bartholomew Mattimore died Tuesday, December 15, 2020. He was surrounded by his grateful and loving family in his home in Windsor, California.
Hank was born August 11, 1934 in South Buffalo New York. He was the fifth and final child born to parents, Joseph and Mary (McMcMahon)) Mattimore.
Hank was preceded in death by his beloved wife of four years, Kathleen Hutchins (Mattimore), and by his brothers Joseph Mattimore, Daniel Mattimore, and his dear sister, Mary Elwell (Mattimore) of Buffalo NY, and survived by his brother, Richard Mattimore, of Chicago.He is survived by his two children Laura Mattimore Forgue (Paul Forgue) and Sean Mattimore (Jenelle Mattimore (Timm) and by his four adoring grandchildren, Abigael, Kate, Benjamin and Riley. Hank was a much beloved uncle to 21 nieces and nephews, and is also survived by his friend and first wife of 20 years, Lillian Schaie Mattimore. He was a cherished friend to many.
Hank entered the seminary after high school and went on to attend the Oblate Novitiate and the Oblate College in Washington D.C. There he earned a Master's degree in religious education before being ordained as a Catholic priest. He spent seven years as a missionary in Japan and the Philippines. Upon his return to the US, he spent three years as a parish priest in St. Petersburg, Florida. There he earned his Second Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Florida.
In 1971, Hank made the decision to leave the priesthood in order to have a family of his own and moved to Northern California. He met his wife and settled in Sonoma County in 1976.
Hank had a long career in human services and social advocacy. He was the director of senior services for the City of Fairfield (CA) for twelve years and went on to work as director of housing for Face to Face in the early 90s. Following the passing of his wife Kathleen in 2005, he became a grandparent serving foster children at the newly built Children's Village in Santa Rosa, California. He has served as a Court Appointed Social Advocate for children and served as Chair for the Juvenile Justice Commission. He served as the spiritual director at Los Guilicos juvenile detention center. Hank was involved with the Alzheimer Association, and until COVID, enjoyed providing respite care for family members of those affected by Alzheimer's. Hank was a published author who wrote eight books, sports and travel articles, and had a syndicated column "The Older American" in Solano county's newspaper "The Daily Republic". He was a rich storyteller and one could hear his voice in every word he wrote.
Hank Mattimore lived his life in a way that was merciful, simple, kind, and deliberate. Even through 2020 he could find the good in each day. He truly treasured the small miracles in life and was the best dad a kid could ask for. He had a wonderful circle of friends and was a long time parishioner of Resurrection church. He had a wicked sense of Irish humor, and was known for his practical jokes on unsuspecting coworkers. Hank loved a good baseball game (always with a hot dog and a beer), and was a diehard Oakland As fan. He was endlessly curious about the world and the people in it. He traveled extensively, and was always looking forward to a new adventure. He believed that the secret to a life well lived was in the service of others.
A private family service will be held at Calvary cemetery in Santa Rosa. A mass and a celebration of life gathering will be held as soon as restrictions allow.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders.
Hank has been a long time CORPUS member, attending many National conferences through the years. Because of writing skills, he authored many articles for CORPUS REPORTS.
These Things I Have Loved
by Hank Mattimore
When the time comes for me to “slough off my mortal coil” and friends and family gather round my ashes to pay their last respects, I hope they will remember me for the things I have loved in life.
My own list includes things like
The smell of fresh bread baking
That first cup of coffee in the morning
The sound of waves
Kisses from a child
The quiet of a winter snowfall
Hearing the ump yell “Play Ball”to open the baseball season.
And I really loved
Walking barefoot on the beach
Making a snowball
Buying girl scout cookies from a sweet little 10 year-old girl
Watching a mom gaze in wonder at her sleeping child
Walking silently through a redwood grove
Listening once more to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”
And I loved the times
When I knew in my gut that I did the right thing
When the presence of God was palpable
When I got that I was understood
When I was in the room with my wife watching my own kid being born
When I knew that I loved and was loved by another.