William P. Mattei

LEICESTER: William "Bill" Mattei, 75, of Leicester died Wednesday, July 19th in
New Salem as the result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident that day.
He leaves his wife of 51 years, Mary E. (Mercer) Mattei, his daughters; Elizabeth M.
Mattei of Worcester and Kathleen M. Mattei of Charlton, his brothers; Richard Mattei
and his wife Deborah of Madison, NH, and Brian Mattei of Cooperstown, NY, his
sister; Lisa Atwood and her husband Gary of Northfield, VT, his grandchildren;
Cameron, Bryce, Trevor, Maria and Anna, and many nieces and nephews. He is
predeceased by his brother; Philip Mattei.
He was born in Worcester, the son of Rocco P. and Rosemary C. (Stafford) Mattei and
later graduated from St. Peter's High School in Worcester '66, Nichols College in
Dudley '70 and later earned his Master's Degree from Anna Maria College, Paxton in
1976.
At St. Peter's, Bill played four years of varsity football, four years of varsity baseball,
and three years of varsity basketball. He was the captain of both his football and
baseball teams, which were both championship teams during his tenure. In baseball,
Bill was a talented catcher for four years. In his junior year, Bill was the All-City
Leading Scorer, Kick-Off Magazine's selection to the High School All-American
Second Team and named one of the Top 100 running backs in the country, voted by
coaches nationally. He was one of only two players in Massachusetts to be named to
the All-American Second Team. While at Nichols College, Bill continued to play all
three sports and he was chosen on several weeks as the ECAC College Running Back
of the week. Whether he was on the court or on the field, Bill always took on a
leadership role and played with confidence and determination.
Bill worked as a Probation Officer for the Massachusetts Probation Service for 38
years in the Worcester District Court. He was Chief of the department for his last
10 years before retiring in 2010. Bill truly had a calling for helping people with
substance use issues and provided hope for many on their darkest days. He was
responsible for the creation of the Substances Abuse Treatment (S.A.T.) Program
long before the concept of "drug courts" were popular. For 3 years he gave up his
lunch hour to hold AA meetings in Courtroom 408 and enjoyed visiting "The
Farm" at the Dismas House in Oakham at night after work, as he was committed to
helping so many find work, housing and treatment following periods of
incarceration. He truly believed in people, even when they didn't believe in
themselves. It was quite common for Bill to be working in the yard at the family
home and someone would stop to thank him for how he "saved their life" from
addiction years later. He always reminded them that they did all of the hard work.
Bill and Mary also owned and operated Mattei Realty in Leicester. Bill was known
for brokering deals in the early days by just a handshake, as he believed strongly in
the value of one's reputation and so many trusted that they could take him at his word.

Bill enjoyed working in his garden and growing enough to share with many, making
his own "gravy", and taking a ride on the "scenic route" in his red Porsche. He was a
family man in every sense of the word. As a father and grandfather, he was quick to
offer a helping hand or words of wisdom, jumping at any opportunity to teach a
valuable lesson, fix a leaking pipe, a broken heart or a batting swing. He was a man of
many talents, because "If you want something done right, you do it yourself." As a
man of loyalty and integrity, he taught the importance of respect, and a firm
handshake. He passed on his love for sports and the outdoors to his children and
grandchildren. He never missed a game or a match no matter how far and was a coach
to each of them whether officially or from the sidelines. He shared countless hours
fishing and hunting early on with his father and then later with his brothers, nephews
and grandchildren. He could navigate any piece of woods with ease, maybe "getting turned around a little", but never lost. He told hunting stories to anyone who would listen, and those
experiences will live on in his grandsons for years to come. Whether in his early
athletic years, through work or with his family, the most important thing to Bill was
the connections he made with people. He had an innate ability to find common ground
with someone in seconds and even a short conversation with him left lasting
impressions.
Bill was also a member of St. Aloysius-St. Jude Parish, the Leicester Rod & Gun
Club, the Leicester Business Association and Worcester County Realtors Association.

Memorial calling hours will be held Wednesday, July 26 from 4-7 P.M. in the MORIN FUNERAL HOME, 1131 Main St., Leicester. A private Memorial Mass
will be held in St. Aloysius-St. Jude Church for the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Dismas House, PO Box
30125, Worcester, MA 01603. Dismas House provides a beacon of hope for former
prisoners in greater Worcester as a platform for healthy re-entry to those most in need
of recovery, work and housing.

www.morinfuneralhomes.com