Raymond Knight Mason

Raymond Knight Mason passed away on January 2, 2020 at the age of 92. A native of Jacksonville, he was born on February 28, 1927 to Varina Knight and William Marcy Mason. He attended local public schools: West Riverside, John Gorrie and Robert E. Lee High School. He served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. After the war, he went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1949. He married another Jacksonville native, Julia Minerva Rogers, on September 16, 1948, with whom he had four children.

Raymond was a creative business leader and deal maker with broad interests in many industries. He built the Charter Company up from a small mortgage company into a diversified Fortune 500 company from 1974-85 with acquisitions in the oil and gas, insurance and communications businesses. He was active in the financial community, serving as a board member of Florida National Bank (1960-74) and American Banks of Florida (1978-98). Raymond and his family lived at Epping Forest from 1972 until 1984. Epping was the former home of Alfred I. and Jessie Ball duPont, sister of Edward Ball, Raymond’s mentor and friend. While at Epping, Raymond and his wife hosted leading public figures, including President Gerald Ford, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan, the Shah of Iran, Bob Hope and Andy Warhol. Raymond and his wife spent their summers at a home they built on the grounds of the Ballynahinch Castle in Ireland for 45 years. He enjoyed traveling all over the world for business and pleasure.

Raymond was predeceased by his wife, Minerva, two brothers, John Dunham Mason and William Marcy Mason, Jr., and two of his four children, Walter Rogers Mason and Varina Mason Steuert. He is survived by: his daughter, Marcy Mason Moody (Tom); his son, Raymond Knight Mason, Jr. (Cabeth); five grandchildren, Raymond Michael Steuert, Raymond Knight Mason III (Jenny), Nicky Moody Ordway (Demian), Joseph John Steuert V (Trenholm), and Anne Woodward Moody; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL on January 10, 2020 at 11:00 am.

The family deeply appreciates the gracious and sensitive care that Community Hospice of Northeast Florida provided to Raymond in his final months. Memorial donations may be made to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32257.