Bernard Mason

MASON
BERNARD

March 18, 2020; Bernie Mason, 99, passed peacefully away at Cathedral Village with his family by his side. He was born in Philadelphia on May 7th, 1920, to the late Bennett and Henrietta (Cohen) Mason.
Bernie was a true renaissance man. He was an immensely talented artist who won a drawing contest in his teens. The prize was an interview with Walt Disney in California. Unfortunately, this was during the Great Depression, and he needed to stay at home to help with his family.
He enlisted during World War II and as a first Lieutenant was a prominent part of the top secret Ghost Army. This special company of artists, sound engineers and set designers were given a unique mission within the Allied Army: to impersonate other Allied Army units to deceive the enemy. He led Task Force Mason - which flew into Omaha Beach eight days after D-Day to conduct the Ghost Army's first deceptive mission on the continent. Bernie was featured in a book and a PBS special, and is currently a part of a new exhibit at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He always considered his greatest wartime accomplish-ment to be that he brought all of his men home safe and sound.
Though he could only complete one year of college at Drexel when he was a young man, he graduated with honors from Villanova University when he was 75.
He was an avid Villanova basketball fan, as well as enjoying the Phillies and Eagles.
Bernie enjoyed mathematics and word puzzles of all kinds. He never left home without a camera in his pocket to take photos of people he met. Those photos became extraordinary portraits that he would give as a gift to those he photographed. He loved doing that.
But his greatest love of all was his wife of 74 years, Dottie (nee Sacks). He literally married the girl next door.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son Carl (Bobbi) Mason and his daughter Bobbi (Mark) Helms; his grandchildren Scott Mason, Jaclyn Mason, Erin (Chris) Saulino, Emily (Matt) Staffaroni and five great grand-children - Lyla, Jack, Sydney, Tommy and Grace. He was preceded in death by his sister Mildred Nathan and his brother Louis Mason.
Services will be private. A memorial celebration is planned for sometime this summer.

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