Monsignor William F. Mattimore, who served in Hawai'i for two decades and was the former pastor of St. George Catholic Church in Waimanalo, died Sept. 28 in Worcester, Mass.

He was 81.

Mattimore, who also served at Sts. Peter and Paul in Honolulu, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waikane and St. Roch in Kahuku, had gone home to Worcester in May 2006 for his yearly visit when he decided to seek help for a heart condition, said Pua Hofbauer, a friend and parishioner at St. George.

Then other medical issues arose.

Called Father Bill by friends and parishioners, Mattimore is remembered for his devotion to his congregation, strong support and adherence to his faith, said Hofbauer, adding that he was a mentor as well.

"He could be tough if it was something to do with the teaching of the church," she said. "There was no wavering and that's what we all loved about him.

"He wasn't wishy-washy. It wasn't like we had a cafeteria-style church here where you take what you want and leave what you don't."

Hofbauer, who had gone to Worcester to visit Mattimore but ended up at his funeral, said he was scheduled for a heart-valve replacement operation and in the process discovered he had cancer.

"There was one complication after another complication," she said.

Mattimore was born July 8, 1926, in Worcester and ordained as a priest there in 1951, serving at different parishes until 1957 when he joined the U.S. Air Force.

In the Air Force he served 34 years as a chaplain on the Mainland, and in Germany, Spain, Korea, Thailand and Hawai'i, retiring as a colonel in 1991.

Catholic Bishop Joseph Ferrario, his seminary classmate and now deceased, recruited him for service in Hawai'i, where he stayed for 20 years, until he had to retire from St. George in December 2006 because of his illness.

"He was very involved with the parishioners," said Eva DeMotta, St. George parish secretary.

"He would know if you missed Mass. No matter how many people were there, he really took the time to get to know everyone."

Easy to talk to and jovial, Mattimore could also motivate people and rally them for good causes, such as for the St. George's parish hall that was completed in 2001, DeMotta said.

"Without him we still wouldn't have this building," she said. "We would still be in the fundraising process."

He reached out to people he had met all over the world and they contributed to the $400,000 building, DeMotta said.

In August, the parishioners dedicated the building to him, naming it the Father Bill Gathering Place.

He started a scholarship fund for the church's children to help pay for a Catholic school education, she said.

A cousin of his had left some money, which was used to set up the fund.

"He was the father of our parish family," DeMotta said. "He's missed a lot."

Jim McCoy, a parishioner and longtime friend, said Mattimore touched a cord in Waimanalo, but people would come from all over the island and the world to his church. It was a custom to have people introduce themselves and Mattimore always took the time to speak to them, said McCoy.

Mattimore was an avid golfer, said McCoy, who counted himself lucky to have golfed with him, Bishop Ferrario and other church members.

McCoy first met Mattimore when the clergyman was serving in the Air Force in Hawai'i with McCoy's father.

The priest baptized McCoy's son at St. Roch and later participated in his children's religious training.

The priest could lift your spirits with a smile, he said.

"Sometimes when you're down, he'd give you that nod and wink and make you feel better," McCoy said, adding that although Mattimore had attained a higher status in the church, he wanted people to call him Father Bill.

A Mass is scheduled at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at St. George Catholic Church, 41-1323 Kalaniana'ole Highway.

He is survived by his brother, Paul K. Mattimore, and sisters Mary T. Mattimore and Rita A. Withstandley, all of Shrewsbury, Mass.; cousins; and friends all over the world.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.