Harry Mathis never shied from a challenge, hard work or what might have seemed impossible. From an early age, Mathis took the reins of whatever he was up to — and rode that responsibility to become a captain in the U.S. Navy and the top commander of a nuclear submarine. After retiring from the Nav y, Mathis turned his attention to his adopted hometown of San Diego, where he joined community planning groups and civic organizations before being elected to a pair of four-year terms on the San Diego City Council. After serving the maximum time allowed on the city’s highest governing body, Mathis volunteered for his community. He joined the Metropolitan Transit System board, serving three four-year terms and helping to transform the San Diego Trolley into what it is today. He accepted an appointment to the Local Agency Formation Commission, the obscure but vital board responsible for establishing the jurisdictional boundaries between the mashup of government agencies delivering services across San Diego County. And even after concluding his most visible public service, he counseled and endorsed those who followed in his political footsteps. Harry Mathis, the son of Sonoma County who dedicated his life in service of his country and his countrymen and women, died March 31 at Scripps Memorial Hospital. He was 92. “St. Francis said ‘In giving, we receive’ and Harry was a giver,” said Father Tom Garrison of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, the University City parish Mathis co-founded before it even built its chapel. “He had that old-fashioned can-do attitude,” Garrison said. “He could see the big picture of what would come, and he was able to follow through.” The son of a San Francisco bank manager, Mathis was born in Petaluma in 1933, four years before the Golden Gate Bridge opened to foot and automobile traffic traveling in and out of the city. Before graduating from George Washington High School, he was recruited into the Marine Corps with several classmates. But his parents insisted he go to college instead. The Korean War broke out soon after, and two of his classmates were killed. Mathis credited a series of chance encounters for his lifelong winning streak, including one passing chat with a high school counselor who encouraged him to apply for a Navy officers’ program that included attending a university of his choice. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the UC Berkeley in political science and embarked on his Navy career. Mathis was dispatched to Newport News, Va., in the fall of 1961, awaiting completion of repairs to the submarine he had been assigned to, when his roommates insisted he attend the Army-Navy football game with a blind date. He was immediately smitten with the young fifth-grade teacher, Mary McGalen. But Mathis worked nights, so they could go on dates only when a friend agreed to take on one of Mathis’ overnight shifts. “Things progressed, and within six months we were married,” said Mary Mathis, Mathis’ bride of more than 60 years. “He had a very special way about him.” The couple moved around the country and globe in two-year intervals related to his Navy assignments. Among other places, they lived in South Carolina, Connecticut, Hawaii, Washington, D.C., and Rota, Spain. They moved to San Diego in 1970 and settled in University City, where the family remained for decades. City Councilmember Harry Mathis at his last San Diego City Council meeting. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) In addition to his public service, faith was always important to Mathis, his wife said. In University City, they were one of the original families that created and developed the parish they attended for decades. “Church was important to us everywhere we moved,” Mary Mathis said. “It was a constant in our lives, so we always established (ourselves) with a church at each duty station that he had.” Mathis spent 28 years with the Navy before taking a position as a training officer at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. He also began volunteering on various city boards and commissions. By the 1980s, an attorney friend suggested Mathis run for City Council and offered his support. Mathis lost that campaign, but he won the seat four years later — besting Peter Navarro, who went on to lose several other campaigns before joining the Trump administration. Mathis ran unopposed when seeking reelection. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, who succeeded Mathis on the City Council and helped tilt the panel toward Democratic control for the first time in decades, said his predecessor was quick to welcome him to city hall. “He was nothing but classy,” the congressman said. “After I was elected, he sat down with me and talked about how much he enjoyed his service — and how much he wanted me to succeed.” Peters also credited Mathis with reshaping the district that he also served for multiple terms. “He (Mathis) laid the groundwork for the big developments in North City, the northern parts of Carmel Valley and Del Sur,” he said. “He wanted communities to have a decent amount of parks and other amenities.” Mathis is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Mathis of San Diego; two daughters, Laura Mathis of San Diego and Mary Zimmer of Aptos, Calif.; and five grandchildren. Services are planned for June 7 at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church. ...read more read less