Hart Mason

Hart Mason, 68, passed peacefully at his Dallas home on August 8, 2023, after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a surprise baby, the youngest of four, born in Enid, Oklahoma on May 11, 1955. He often told idyllic stories of growing up daydreaming and spending time on his mother’s family farm. Hart attended Chickasha Grade School and High School, except for his final senior year, when he and his parents moved to Woodward, OK, where he graduated from Woodward High School.

A gifted athlete, he was Captain of the football team and received the Golden Helmet award for outstanding athlete, all conference, and the Senior class favorite award. He received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Management from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, where he was a football player and proud member of his beloved Kappa Pi chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He treasured his time in Oklahoma and made many friends that stayed with him throughout the years.

Hart exuded fun, friendship, energy, strength, and love. He was so full of life and was extremely hard working. He had a very interesting career that took him down several different specialties throughout the years, including the insurance business, where he worked with his future brother-in-law, Al Pierotti, for Southland Life, and later, Woodmen Accident and Life. Later, he did sales management with Eads Industrial Distributors and Taylor Publishing Company, and management at Ford Motor Company. He even worked in the oil right of way business with Exxon Mobil at one point, truly wearing many hats.

His favorite work, telecommunications, began when his brothers introduced him to an opportunity in Spokane, Washington. He was a people person, like none other, and his positive communication and love of interacting served him well in his role as an expert cellular Site Acquisition Manager for Sprint and Verizon, where he worked with all major developers and carriers to secure monopole (cell phone tower) sites throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and even Zurich, Switzerland. He was an incredible employee who could sit down with a client at their kitchen table and get a lease signed, based on his know-how and loyal demeanor. His clients would say that they felt like they had known him all their life, and they were in good hands with Hart Mason.

Hart always put others first, including the stranger on the street that he would stop to help. He was a man of faith and family, and truly the best husband, father, brother, and friend we could ever ask for; we were all his main focus and the love of his life, as well as his Savior, Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, he suffered, but even in the midst of his greatest suffering, Hart remained loving, faithful, and pure of heart, encouraging others and hoping and wishing the best for everyone around him. He made others laugh until the very end. One of his most amazing qualities besides his sense of humor was his kindness. He volunteered, helping the needy at Bread Ministries, the Ronald McDonald House at Thanksgiving, and rang the bell at Christmas for the Salvation Army. He was a founding member of the Lions Club in The Colony, Texas, and loved giving back to his community. He was a friend and mentor to many; you could always count on him to be there.

Hart loved his family dearly. He was married to Patricia (Patty) Joanne Walker in 1982. They met through his mentor and friend Al Pierotti, who set Hart up on a blind date with his wife Cindy’s sister, Patty. A few years later, they had Molly and then Hart II. He volunteered his time coaching both his children’s youth basketball teams and joked that he helped Hart II’s team get to the championship two years in a row. Summers were often spent taking road trips to see family in Oklahoma, Colorado, and South Dakota- he loved being in the mountains. He would often be heard singing to the Moody Blues, looking out the window, dreaming aloud and pointing out the giant cellular towers he had helped initiate along the way- “Look, I did that one, too!” He even gave his family some amazing European adventures, and in each new city they visited, he just had to buy a Hard Rock Café shirt as a keepsake, which later became a family joke.

As the years passed, Hart was never happier than when his wife, daughter, son, and son-in-law were together. He looked forward to holidays, and loved playing cards, silly pranks, games, eating delicious food, watching films, telling stories, and having lots of laughs. He had a notepad where he kept a tally of how many trick-or-treaters came each Halloween, loved doing the “Money Tree” game at Christmas, and was never more excited than when he went out to Pioneer Lake in Oklahoma with his family, where they could shoot off as many fireworks as they liked. He truly loved the simple things in life.

In retirement, Hart enjoyed his country cabin at Falconhead, where he loved golfing with his best friends, fraternity brothers and family, and was proud that he shot several hole in ones. He loved nature, and looked forward to yearly visits with Molly and Robbie in Seattle, his sister Kay and her family in Denver, his brother Brad’s family cabin in Cuchara, his brother Fred’s family near Austin and San Antonio, and his best friend Randy’s place by the lake in Montana. He enjoyed doing projects outside, like building his storage shed, creating the outdoor fire pit everyone so enjoyed sitting around, helping his family fix their cars, painting the house, and so much more. He also loved spending time with his dog Whiskers, taking him on walks in the neighborhood along the creek, and spoiling him rotten. Hart’s passions were love, laughter and spending time with both family and friends.

The Mason family would like to thank the staff and care team at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, especially the Texas Oncology Cancer Center, for their compassion, hard work, and professionalism through Hart’s final journey on this earth. He fought so hard, and you were right there for it all, fighting with him. Thank you for all you do for others.

Hart will be and is greatly missed. He was especially gifted at making others feel seen and heard. The world would be a greater place with more people like him. His kindness and gentle spirit will always be remembered. We will hold Hart in our hearts forever.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Walker Mason; children, Molly Mason Stevens (Robbie Stevens,) and Hart Mason II; and three older siblings, Kay Byler, Fred Mason, and Brad Mason, and so many more loving nieces, nephews, and family and friends who miss him dearly.

He was preceded in death by his dear father, Fred T. Mason, and his beloved mother, Dorothy Hart Mason.

A Visitation for Hart will be held at 5 pm on Thursday, August 17, 2023, at St. Monica Catholic Church, 9933 Midway Rd., Dallas, Texas, with a rosary from 6:00-6:30 pm. A funeral mass will be held Friday, August 18, 2023, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, with a reception to follow afterwards, all at St. Monica Catholic Church.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please send donations to:

St. Monica Catholic Church https://www.stmonicachurch.org/donate

-or-

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://secure.pancan.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2681&mfc_pref=T&2681.donation=form1

We will be most grateful if you could share your fond memories, funny stories, and expressions of sympathy at www.Sparkman-Crane.com for the Mason family.