William John Mathews went to Our Lord on February 17, 2021 at the age of 90. On January 4, 1931, Bill was born the youngest sibling to three sisters, Elizabeth(Betty) Little, Patricia (Patsy) Warner and Catherine(Katie) Gleason, in Burlington, Wisconsin, to Robert and Marguerite Mathews. Raised in Lake Geneva, he and his siblings spent many happy summers with his grandparents John and Flora Pendergast in Springfield, WI. His father worked as a grocer and earned extra pay as a bartender at the Surf Hotel. In high school, Bill dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer, but father did not approve of such a field for his only son. Theater was a welcome alternative, and he dove into acting. At 18, he joined the Navy. Training was in Grayslake, IL, then he was shipped off to French Morocco.He rose to Naval Supply officer, spending three years in the Mediterranean, then to the Post War Pacific: Hawaii, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Lisbon was his next port. While there, he took part in a few productions in a local theater, where his performance in The Zoo Story, drawing admiration from the Ambassador to the U.S., as well as the famous Fado singer Amalia Rodrigues. His final port was Treasure Island, in the San Francisco Bay, having served in the military for 20 years and two days. Bill’s family in Wisconsin were always happy to receive him when he was on leave, but they noticed half of his vacations were spent in England and Spain. London, Paris and later Puerto Vallarta would become regular vacation spots. His first civilian jobs were in fine gentlemen’s tailor shops, co-owning one in Carmel for a year. The theater called him back, this time in the box office at the American Conservatory Theater for 3 years, before being scooped up by the San Francisco Opera, for their box office as manager, where he stayed for 25 years. Bill's Mother and two of his sisters were Episcopalian, which he himself tuned to the Anglican variety (as he became quite an Anglophile). He was the Verger at Grace Cathedral, as well as an acolyte, master thurifer and choir member. Rome was wooing him, so he converted to Catholicism in 1999. The 8 o’clock Mass group at Most Holy Redeemer became his final faith family.He managed "The Orphanage", an apartment a simple walk away from church. Smack dab in the middle was the Anchor Oyster Bar, a venue he would eventually eat at almost EVERY SINGLE DAY.Along with opera, the theater and silk shirts, he also loved the visual arts and was a voracious reader of literature, history, and especially mysteries. Getting to know his way around galleries, he became a dedicated patron of several. A gentleman of such “classical”tastes, he was also fortunate to dine several times with the bawdy comedienne Joan Rivers! His reserved facade housed an open and curious mind. Everyone who met Bill was greeted with a warm smile; a person who was genuinely present. Whether conversing with an opera diva, a bishop, a waitress or street sweeper, Bill was kind to them all. He had many angels: His nieces back home, his best friend Nick Andrade, the8 o’clock church group, Roseann Grim, Joe Garcia, Cal Sharp, Darwin Roe, Isak Lindenauer, Stefan Salinas and many others. He is survived by his nieces, Maria Warner Peterson, Leslie Gleason Devries, Kay Warner Julius, Mary Gleason Duggan, and Tracie Warner Fehrm. Nephews, Robert Warner and Michael Gleason. Further, great nieces and nephews, Ryan Duggan, Rachael Duggan, Andrew Wenzel, Jill Wenzel Laferriere, Reese Mularz, Willam Mathew Mularz (namesake), Anna and Holly Mularz, Lindsey and Kelly Julius, and Scott and Kent Fehrm. Godson, Jeff Thierry, further extended relatives and loved ones domestic and abroad. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private funeral Mass will be held at Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco on Friday, March 5, at 8:00am. Live streaming will be on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mhrsf/ In Lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to: www.stjude.org, www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/giving, www.catholiccharitiessf.org , www.salesianmissions.org