William E. Mattis, Jr. PhD

William (Bill) E. Mattis, Jr., PhD, 82, of Allentown, formerly of Macungie and Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully at home on January 3, 2026. He was the husband of Elizabeth “Beth” (Umlauf) Mattis - they were married 32 years in June. He was a member of IEEE ( Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Born in Philadelphia on March 16, 1943, he was the son of the late William E. Mattis, Sr. and the late Mary Alice (Callaghan) Mattis. Bill was raised in the Episcopalian Faith. Bill was the smartest guy in the room - but never had to prove it. He matched extraordinary intellect with deep empathy and compassion for others. Fascinated by radio and television from childhood, he earned engineering degrees from Widener University and a PhD from Drexel University. He taught at Penn State and Villanova Universities, becoming a pioneer in satellite communications, modem technology, and early voice-recognition research. His work at COMSAT helped enable the first HDTV transmission to Europe, and he later contributed to the missile defense system for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer, a project made especially meaningful when he learned his nephew John had worked on the ship in dry dock as a Marine. Bill also applied neural networking (early AI methods) to biology and drug discovery, and founded Mediacasting, LLC through which he broadcasted Spanish-language television channels. Above all, Bill and his beloved wife Beth loved to laugh. He adored Snoopy and Woodstock, disco, dance competitions, and his childhood pet duck, Daisy. Bill could frequently be found having 2 Yocco's hot dogs with mustard and onion and a Coke in their Allentown or Emmaus locations. Bill is survived by his wife Beth; his sister and brothers-in-law Kathleen U. Mack, Gregory and April Umlauf, John N. Umlauf, and Patti Umlauf; his cherished nieces and nephews - Sally, Pearse, Ann, Jesse, John I., and Zach Umlauf and Erica Cisneros Mack and David Mack - all of whom he honored by including in his and Beth’s wedding. He was also a proud great-uncle to Jack, Harper, Hazel, Nathaniel, Lucas, and Ellia. He is predeceased by his parents and his sister Patricia. He will be remembered for his brilliant mind, gentle heart, and the warmth and laughter he shared so freely. Private graveside services were held at Oakland Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA on January 10, 2026. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Brady Urological Institute attention: Development Office 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-2101