She spent most of her life in Henry County where she graduated from Bassett High School in 1947. She worked at Lacy Manufacturing Company and retired as office cashier from J. C. Penney Company. She spent most of her high school years in Richlands, Virginia, where she met Claude Newton Russell, whom she married on December 24, 1947. He preceded her in death on September 4, 2003, after 57 happy years of marriage.
After her retirement she continued to be active in her church, Villa Heights Baptist, where she worked tirelessly on the kitchen committee, as a Sunday School teacher, and a choir member. In addition, she became very active in civic and community affairs, organizing her neighborhood with the clean community campaign, for which she was recognized with a good citizenship award.
In 2014 she became wheel-chair bound and became a resident of Blue Ridge Rehab Center. At Blue Ridge she continued to joyfully serve others as she had at church, in the community, and with family and friends. She loved to cook and would help anyone who needed her. She was a dedicated and loving “Gan Gan” to her granddaughters.
In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by one brother, Terry Mason, Jr., and one sister, Ruby Mason Yeatts.
She is survived by one daughter, Sandra Utt (Wilbur) of Bassett; granddaughters Adrianne Edwards (Lee) of Martinsville, and Ashley Dunovant (Jason) of the Snow Creek community. She is also survived by one sister, Lucille Mason Hundley, of Collinsville.
Visitation will be Monday, June 18, 2018, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Collins Funeral Home, and other times at the home of the daughter. The funeral service will be Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at 11 a.m. at Collins Funeral Home Chapel in Bassett with the Reverend Keith Spangenburg officiating. Interment will be at Roselawn Burial Park in Martinsville.
