Former Homewood Mayor "Bill" Mathieu Dead at 83

Former Homewood Village President William “Bill” Mathieu once said, “I’m the mayor nobody’s going to remember.”

“He was an unassuming man,” Homewood Historical Society President Elaine Egdorf said of him.

Mr. Mathieu, 83, died on Nov. 3. 

As a teen, Mr. Mathieu cut his teeth working for Illinois Central on The City of New Orleans line. He was also a talented singer, having performed at the Chicago Theater during his high school years. Later on, he made a name for himself in town with his business, Mathieu Realty.

“Bill was a major force in starting and building my Real Estate Business which started in 1984,” Ron Wexler, a prominent Homewood real estate agent, said in Mathieu’s online obituary. “An example of leadership, contribution and connection in his every action, he was one of the first people I spoke to when thinking about launching my career.”

Later in his life, Mr. Mathieu served a term as a Homewood trustee before his mayoral run from 1973 to 1977. Former Homewood Village President Manny Hoffman served as his campaign manager.

“President Mathieu was a public servant in the truest sense of the term,” reads a comment by Tim Boivin on Mr. Mathieu’s online obituary. “He gave generously of his time to the residents of the Village of Homewood. He always took the time to listen to concerns.”

Contrary to Mr. Mathieu’s prediction, his time spent in public service has indeed left some memorable legacies in town—like public buses, for example. 

Before there was Pace, there was Mr. Mathieu’s modest fleet of three color coded school buses. Current Homewood Mayor Richard Hofeld said the system was significant in a time when very few people worked from home. 

Mathieu’s administration also helped bring concerts to the Washington Park Racetrack, says his daughter Mary Beth Mathieu. Independence Park, which still exists at the corner of Dixie Highway and Hickory Road, was built when he was in office in 1976.

“He did so much for the village,” Mr. Mathieu’s daughter Mary Beth said.

Among his relatives, Bill Mathieu is remembered as a “wonderful father and grandfather,” who enjoyed his family on vacations. He was also a loyal and loving son, and would visit his parents every day before going to work, according to his daughter Mary Beth.

Mr. Mathieu, a Homewood mayor that will most assuredly be remembered, will be honored with a memorial service at St. Joseph Church in Homewood on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10 a.m.