Obituary of John Howard Mason

Captain John Howard Mason U.S. Marine Corp. (Retired) Mr. Mason was born on August 26, 1929 and passed away on August 15, 2011 at the Sunrise Assisted-Living facility in Reston, Virginia. The cause of death was Lung Lymphoma for which he had been in re-mission since 2001. John was born and educated in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Following high school graduation, he was accepted into the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the University of Southern California. He graduated in 1952 with a degree in Business Administration and a Second Lieutenant rank in the United States Marine Corps. After additional Basic Training, he was assigned to duty in Korea. On the night of his 23 rd birthday, he was severely wounded by Chinese artillery fire. Officer Mason refused aid until all of his men were safely removed from the field of battle. For his actions of bravery, he was awarded the Bronze Star of Valor. After rehabilitation in Japan, he returned to duty, earned the rank of Captain, and remained in action until the conclusion of the Korean Conflict. The next chapter in his life led him to the position of Intelligence Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. His assignment placed him in the Asian sector, serving mainly in Thailand and Singapore. Years later, he returned to the United States and continued to serve in the Washington Metropolitan area. Mr. Mason was an avid hiker. As a member of the Capital Hiking Club (Washington, Virginia, and Maryland), he organized and led many hikes in the mountains of Virginia. He and his Life Partner joined several British groups in hiking the Alps of Switzerland, Austria, and the Dolomites of northern Italy. In the United States, the again did high-altitude hiking in the American and Canadian Rockies. Mr. Mason's parents, Howard and Merle Mason and two sisters, Mary and Ellie predeceased him. His Marriage ended in divorce. He was the beloved father of Leslie Ann Mason Groomes and her husband, Patrick Groomes, Esq. of Sterling, Virginia and the loving Life Partner of Patricia M. Nesley of Herndon, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Following the wishes of Mr. Mason, there were no funeral or memorial services. His ashes were placed in the family Cemetery plot in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.