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Charles Mason
Charles R. Mason, 93, of Prairie, died Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007, in Prairie.
Internment was held in Needles Cemetery in Needles, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
Charles was born on Feb. 17, 1914, in Bell Plaine, Kan., to Charles Merritt Mason and Nellie Mae Clokey.
Charles grew up in Bell Plaine, graduated high school and completed one year of college, playing football.
He met and married Pearl Bowser in Bell Plaine and they had one daughter, Janice, before moving in 1939 to Needles, Calif., to work for the railroad. Originally they planned on being there only a few months, but "he and mother ended up staying 49 years," his family said. In Needles two more daughters joined the family, Sharon and Denise.
"His great joy was hunting," his family said. "We ate many a meal out of the Colorado River."
It was his love of hunting that brought him to Idaho. He would go to the Big Creek area and pack into Cold Meadows with his friend, Carlos Taylor, from Boise.
In the 1960s, he and his wife purchased land in Mohave Valley, Ariz. They cleared the land, built a home and he farmed while still working on the railroad.
In 1977, with the idea of retiring in Idaho, "dad discovered Prairie," his family said. "They bought land on Smith Creek and built a cabin. In the spring, mother had cancer and in April passed away." He retired in the fall of 1978.
In 1980, he met Martha Davis.They were married and moved to Prairie "where they spent many wonderful years," his family said. She died in 1996.
Charles is survived by: two daughters, Sharon Meredith of Mountain Home and Denise Whitlow of Boise; three stepchildren, Pam Blake of Mohave Valley, Jan Davis of Phoenix and Rick Davis; four grandchildren and four step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by four sisters, his first wife, Pearl Bowser, and his second wife, Martha Davis, and a daughter, Janice Mason Polenshe.
The family suggests memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Prairie QRU c/o Mary Cook, 524 Smith Creek Rd, Prairie, ID 83647, or the Prairie Community Library, 71 Smith Creek Rd, Prairie, ID 83647.