Leslie Jack Mason

other loved ones, and is now truly doing “wonderfully well.”

Jack was born in Ogden, Utah, on April 23, 1935, to Reuben and Mary Erma (Darger) Mason. He served in the Marines during the Korean War (semper fi!) and served a mission in California for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married Gwendolyn Elaine Shaw on August 14, 1965, and together they have seven children. He worked in computer programming and software design, including running his own software business for many years. In his last years, he lived with various of his children, and passed away in the presence of his daughters K-onna Mason and Dawn Smith in West Virginia.

Jack is a self-proclaimed “rebel in street klothes.” He is a man of strong opinions, strong values, and a strong testimony of the gospel and redemptive power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. He is a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has a keen sense of humor, an adventurous spirit, a passion for knowledge, and a voracious curiosity about everything (a curiosity we assume will now be satisfied--or perhaps expanded).

He taught us, his children, to think for ourselves, stand up for what we believe, and have confidence in our abilities. From him we learned that we are all unique (hence our unusual, sometimes unspellable names), how to have an appreciation for the absurd ("metric cookies", “I’m waiting with wormy breath”), and how to care for and love each other (“Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?”).

We’ll always remember his sage wisdom:

     -- It isn't something you know, it’s something you decide.

     -- Do or do not. There is no “try” (borrowed from Yoda, another “wise guy”).

     -- We don’t say “stupid.”

     -- Once a marine, always a marine!

     -- When uncertain, when in doubt: run in circles, scream, and shout!

     -- Remember who you are.

     -- Everything worth having is worth fighting for; nothing worth having is worth fighting about.

He has left a legacy of service to God, family, friends, strangers, and his country and remains a great example of patience, compassion, and love. He is missed by his siblings, his seven children, sixteen grandchildren, extended family, and others whose lives he has touched.

In lieu of a funeral, we will be holding a memorial shindig for family and friends to celebrate his life in Utah this spring or summer, and details will be forthcoming.

Jack (Opa to his grandkids) is a dreamer, and though he would call this a reflection, not a poem (“real men don’t DO poetry”), these words are the motto of his life:

I don’t wanna be no junk peddler --

      I druther be

                   a Huckster of Happiness

                   a Purveyor of Possibilities

                   a Dispenser of Dreams

                   a Rembrandt of Rainbows

       In other words, a StarChaser