George J. Mattis

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — George J. Mattis, 80, died at home on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, of congestive heart failure. He also suffered from Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).

Born in Shamokin, Pa., he was the eldest son of the late George and Mary Magdalene (Sulek) Mattis.

He attended elementary and high schools in Shamokin.

Most of his working career consisted of 40 years of federal service. After he served in the U.S. Army he completed his college education, graduating summa cum lade from Mt. St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md. He was listed in "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities." After a year of graduate study at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, he returned to the U.S. and became a television director.

In 1954, he passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination and was assigned in turn to the Department of Commerce, Post Office, Army and State, where he served for 30 years until he retired in 1992.

After retiring from government service, he became vice president for operations of a Falls Church mortgage banking and real estate firm, formed a commercial mortgage partnership, and organized a private trust note venture.

His lifelong avocation was in the field of theology. In 1982, he founded the Lay Institute for Creative Theology, which provides lectures and discussion of contemporary theology topics for adults. He expressed his personal speculative theological view of a variety of topics in a series of brief monographs under the title, "Letters to Abba."

He was a member of MENSA and Alcoholics Anonymous.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Mattis of Falls Church; three children, Sarah Liberatore and husband Sebastian of Springfield, Va., Chris Mattis and wife Laura of Falls Church, Noah Mattis and wife Roya of Ashburn, Va.; five grandchildren, and siblings, Edward Mattis, of Washington D.C., Eugene Mattis, of Haddonfield, N.J., and sister, Marie Hutzler of San Antonio, Texas. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Graboski.