William Harris Mathis, Jr., MD

William Harris Mathis, Jr., M.D., 92 of Marietta died on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church in the Sanctuary in Marietta with Rev. Keith Gunter and Rev. Dr. James Speed officiating. Burial will follow at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Marietta. Dr. William Mathis was the first full-time radiologist in Cobb County, serving on staff at Kennestone Hospital. He joined the staff in 1953 and was also named director of Kennestone’s X-ray training facility. Dr. Mathis was influenced to go into medicine by his father, who was a doctor, and his mother, who was a nurse. He did his undergraduate work at Clemson University in South Carolina. And received his medical degree from Medical University in Charleston, SC and trained in X-Ray/Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1948; Fellow of American College of Radiology; Harvard Trained Radiologist and Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corp for two years. After being on the Kennestone staff for 14 years, in 1967 Dr. Mathis and some of his associates opened a private office on Tower Road across from the hospital and retired in 1988 from Kennestone Hospital. Dr. Mathis spent is retirement fishing and spending time in his vegetable garden. Survivors include his wife, Sarah Hart Mathis of Marietta; four daughters, Sara Mathis Kelly & husband, Bob of St. Simons Island; Katherine Mathis Shaw & husband, Bill of Macon; Jean Aswell & her husband, Jim of Marietta; Anne Mathis Witcher & her husband, Ben of Powder Springs; step-children, Steven Richardson of Dacula; David Richardson & wife, Susan of Lawrenceville; one sister, Marguerite Marlow of Stone Mountain; six grandchildren; four step-grandchildren and one great grandson. Dr. Mathis was preceded in death by his mother & father, Dr. W. H. Mathis, Sr. & Genevieve Sanderson Mathis; his first wife, Katherine Landergan Mathis; a sister, Alice Bell Knight and a daughter, Eleanor Mathis. Contributions may be made in loving memory of Dr. Mathis to the Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb, 1605 Roberta Drive, Marietta, GA 30008 or to the First Presbyterian Church, Congregational Assistance Fund, 189 Church Street, NE, Marietta, GA 30060-1629. The family will receive friends from 9:30-10:30 a.m. before the service at the church. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home & Crematory in Marietta is in charge of arrangements. www.mayeswarddobbins.com