Francis Mason, 89, of Ideal, SD passed away on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at the Prairie View Care Center in Woonsocket, South Dakota.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at the Ideal First Presbyterian Church in Ideal at 2 p.m. A private burial will be held at a later date.
Francis Henry “Buzz” Mason was born on Sept. 29, 1928, in Tripp County South Dakota and he passed away at the Prairie View Assisted Living Care Facility in Woonsocket SD on July 12 2018. He was the son of William Henry “Hank” Mason and Ival (Lenker) Mason. Hank and Ival Mason had seven children, they were Lyle, Francis, Bill, Ted, Wanda, Clarice, and Shirley. He graduated from Colome High School. In 1946 right after high school, Buzz joined the U.S. Army. He served in the Panama Canal Zone until he separated from the Army in 1949. Buzz was immensely proud of his honorable military service.
He met Janice McMacken, his first wife at a box lunch fund raising contest when he bought one of Jan’s box lunches. Jan and Buzz were married in Tripp County in 1952. Buzz and Jan had two sons, Danny and Francis A. Mason.
During the first years of Buzz and Jan’s marriage, Buzz farmed and worked as a hired hand for Pat and Dave Lenker of Ideal SD. While living in Ideal, Buzz was very active in the Ideal Presbyterian Church and the Ideal School. In 1963 Buzz and Jan purchased and moved to a small farm west of Mitchell SD. Over the years Buzz worked as a farmer, mechanic, feed salesman, master plumber, and manager of the Davison County Rural Water System. Buzz was very proud of his days managing the Davison Rural Water System.
Buzz loved the outdoors and at an early age learned to hunt and trap. He shared this joy hunting with his sons and his friends. Over the years he developed a large collection of rifles and shotguns. He was passionate about pheasant hunting and gun collecting. Buzz as also involved in the VFW, American Legion and the Shriners.
He is survived by his current wife Ellen Ann, sons Danny and Al Mason, 11 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. The grandchildren are Aaron Mason, Jordan Jones, Hilary Mason, Patrick Mason, Sydney Mason, Natasha Mason, Madeline Mason, Timothy Mason, Evangeline Mason, Phillip Mason, and Dorothea Mason. Buzz’s great grand children are Ayden, Austyn, and Adasyn Mason
Buzz was preceded in death by his parents Hank and Ival Mason and his brothers Bill and Ted and his sisters Wanda and Clarice. Buzz was also preceded in death by his first wife Janice and his second wife Phyllis.
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