Reese Mason

DR REESE B. MASON, FORMER MAYOR, PASSES AWAY.

Dr. Reese B. Mason, 94 years old, former Tremonton Mayor and a long-time Box Elder County resident passed away on 24 March 2013 in Gilbert, Arizona. He was born in Howell, Utah on Aug 20, 1918 to Mirl and Veda Mason, the first of four children.

He was a typical farm boy growing up. He helped his parents with the farm work, attended school in a small one room school house in Howell, and, once in a while, he would cut school to swim in the canal. He attended Bear River High School but the drive from the farm to school was too much; so he lived with relatives in Willard during his senior year and graduated from Box Elder High School. He began his pre-med education at Utah State University before transferring to Idaho State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology in 1943. He completed his dental degree at University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1946 where he was a member of Phi Sigma fraternity.

While attending University of Missouri at Kansas City Dental School, Reese met Martha Christine Blossom of Shawnee, Oklahoma. They were married in Kansas City on 21 November 1945 and were later sealed for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple on 19 July 1946. They are the parents of four sons and two daughters. Christine preceded him in death on 25 September 2010.

His service in the LDS Church spans over 80 years. Dr. Mason was 1 of 4 missionaries called from Howell in 1937--their fathers were all in the same bishopric at the time of their calling. He served in the Japanese Mission in Hawaii. He was serving his mission in Kauai when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was delayed from returning home for two months after his 3 year mission. He served in the presidency of the 153rd Quorum of the Seventies before being called as the Bishop in the Tremonton 2nd Ward in July 1950. He served in the Bear River South Stake Presidency from 1955 – 1973. Dr. Mason and his wife Christine served two missions for The LDS Church in the Peoria Illinois Mission and the Nauvoo Illinois Mission where Elder Mason was the Director of the Visitor Center and Sister Mason was the secretary to the Mission President.

On 3 September 1943, Dr. Mason entered the U.S. Navy and was recommended for officer trainings school. He was assigned to the Olathe Naval Training Station in Olathe, Kansas as a Naval Officer in the Dental Corp with permission to attend UMKC’s dental program. It was during this time that he met and married his sweetheart of 63 years. He was recalled to active duty in July 1953 serving in the US Army during the Korean War.

He opened his dental practice in 1947 on the top floor of the old Bone building on the corner of Main Street and First East. He and Dr. E.D. Mohr were the only dentists in the valley for nearly twenty years. He had a prominent dental practice in Tremonton from 1947 until 1987 when a critical motorcycle accident caused Dr. Mason to retire early. He was elected as the President of the Utah Dental Association from 1966-1967. He was a founding member of the Beehive Academy.

From 1973 – 1977 he served on the Tremonton City Council. In 1977 he was elected the Mayor of Tremonton. During his administration, a new sewer plan was constructed, and La-Z-Boy Chair Company and Nucor Steel joined the Tremonton community. He received the Andy Rytting Community Service Award in 1982. He served as president of the Howell Gun Club from 1964 – 1966.

He and his wife split their time between their home in Tremonton and a winter get-away in Phoenix where they are near some of the grandchildren. He has been an avid genealogist and has published four books about his Mason, Cordon, Wood and Bradbury ancestors.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Christine; his parents; a sister, the late Glade M. Nielsen; and one great granddaughter, Taylor Nicole Mason. He is survived by his four sons and two daughters: Richard R. Mason of Centennial, Colorado; Joseph W. (Cherie) Mason of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Douglas M. Mason of Tempe, Arizona; Curtis B. (Paula) Mason of Smithfield, Utah; Alice E. (Jeff) Gifford of Page, Arizona, and Melanie M. Smith of Mesa, Arizona. He is also survived by two sisters, Naone (Ken) Godfrey of Brigham City, Utah and Marlene (Sharon) Archibald of Tremonton. He and his wife have 19 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren.


Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 11:00 am at the Tremonton Stake Center located at 660 North 300 East, Tremonton, Utah. A viewing will be held at Rogers aand Taylor Funeral Home (111 N 100 E Tremonton) Wednesday April 3, 2013 from 6-8 p.m. and Thursday, April 4, 2013 from 9:30 to 10:30 am prior to the funeral services at the Church. Please send condolences to www.ruddfuneralhome.com