MILLERTON — William F. Mattes III, passed away at his longtime home in Millerton on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, with his beloved children, Dylan and Elizabeth, and his wife, Diane, at his side.
Bill, son of the late William F. Mattes Jr. and Grace Mann Mattes, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 27, 1944, and grew up in Briarcliff Manor, New York. After attending high school in Briarcliff, Bill went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in English from New York University. It was there that he met his wife of 34 years, Gweno P. Mattes.
Bill forged a distinguished career in New York City in advertising at William Esty, Cunningham & Walsh, Lois, Holland Calloway, Grey Advertising and 25 years at Doyle Dane Bernbach — where he served in senior management roles on accounts including Polaroid, Avis, Michelin and Mobil Oil.
Bill and Gweno built their weekend home in Millerton in 1977 and raised their children, Dylan and Elizabeth, there and in New York at The Buchanan on East 48th Street.
Life in Millerton tapped Bill’s inner country boy, where he could cut cords of firewood, build a woodshed and a screened porch and grow an abundance of vegetables each summer. In the city, he could smooth a client’s ruffled feathers, write and deliver a new business pitch … so many skills and talents — this man, we knew, could do it all.
A lifelong New York Yankees fan, Bill emulated his heroes with a mean lefty curve ball as a kid. Watching 9 year old grandson Rohan’s MVP turns at bat, on the field and on the mound filled him with pride. A versatile athlete but never one to brag, only Bill’s closest friends knew about that hole-in-one at Poxabogue back in the day.
In 2000, Bill traded the gray flannel suit of Madison Avenue for flannel shirts from Saperstein’s and retired to Millerton, where he was free to enjoy life at his home in the woods. He read voraciously and curated playlists of John Prine, Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder soundtracks to accompany a drink and dinner at the end of a good day.
Bill cared for his beloved wife Gweno when she became ill. When she passed away in 2003, Bill ensured that her love and his and the wonderful life they had created carried on for Dylan and Elizabeth.
In 2009, Bill married Diane P. Barto at the home of his late sister, Barbara Abercrombie and her late husband Bob Adams in Santa Monica, California. Diane was welcomed by the entire family when this second chapter began.
Bill is survived and dearly missed by Diane, Dylan and his wife, Tanaya Apte, Elizabeth and her husband, Jason Marrian, along with 4 beautiful grandchildren; Aliya, Rohan, Annapurna and Lucius. He also leaves nieces, Brooke Abercrombie and her husband, Chris Wilson, and their daughters Emma and Cara and Gillan Abercrombie Frame, her husband, Greg Frame, and their children, Axel and Grace, and by his and Diane’s cat, Charlie.
Bill will be remembered for his love of family, friends and home and for his devotion to them all; for his sharp wit and signature humor; for all that, and for those remarkable blue eyes.
A private family memorial will be held in the spring. Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Millerton Fire Company, P.O. Box 733, Millerton, NY 12546, Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 or to the Little Guild of St. Francis, 285 Sharon/Goshen Turnpike, W. Cornwall, CT 06796. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Ave., Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Bill’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Dick Hermans in the Oblong Bookstore on Millerton’s Main Street in 1985.Provided
