William Mathies

The life of William Hilary Mathies has really been a wonderful journey. We celebrate the fact that Will found love and was gifted with his beautiful Kendall who brought him the ultimate joy. This journey, which began in Royesville, Liberia, West Africa commenced on 28 October 1958 as the first of three Children unto the Union of Deborah and Jehu Mathies.

William, as his family knew him, would later in his adult life ask to be called Will. His childhood years in his birth place was humble with Will forming a strong protective bond over his brother Aaron. Will attended the Jordan Agriculture African Methodist Episcopal Elementary School in Royesville, Liberia and would later be enrolled into the 7th grade at Ricks Institute in 1972.
Will held a very close bond of Friends, inclusive of; Napoleon Outland, Canmu Dennis and Waled Azzam (all of whom would later become as Brothers) and Members of the Ricks Institute Alumni Association.

As an over achiever, Will was Competitive both Academically and Socially: An Honor Roll Student; a Member of the Student Government, Soccer and Basketball Teams, Sports Association, Choir and Band.

In 1978, Will graduated from Ricks Institute and headed to America for college on a government scholarship. He had selected Indiana Institute of Technology. The move was easy because of a familiar face in Napoleon.

At Indiana, Will continued to succeed in his education. When the scholarship from the Liberian government ceased, he was not deterred. In fact, Will continued to attend classes everyday although his tuition was not paid. With the help of his Uncle Hilary, William was able to continue his education with a contractual agreement of payment after graduation.
Will graduated from Indiana Institute of Technology in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He began his career with Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 1985 as Transportation Engineer. Recently, he was promoted as the Public Private Partnership (P3) Engineer. Will managed MDOT’s first P3 contract, also the first freeway lighting contract in the country, which has been recognized with national attention at the industry conferences. This project was awarded the 2017 National Innovation Project Award from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships. Will and the project team received the Good Government Symbol of Excellence Coin from MDOT’s leaders this past October.

As Will continued his journey, he was also successful in his personal life. He met Michelle Lumanog, whom he married on November 1, 2011. They were blessed with the birth of beautiful Kendall on March 29, 2015. William waited throughout his life’s journey for his child and Kendall was his joy. She was his heart, and the core of his strength.

Will was a caring person. He was very loyal and loved unconditionally. He expected a lot of himself and those around him. There was no one more driven then Will. He strived to be the best, do the best, and have the best, no matter the obstacle. Will was the epitome of “Mind over Matter”. His strength and belief in himself was simply amazing.

On Saturday, the 11th day of November 2017, Will’s journey ended as he made his transition.
 

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