Dessa Margaret Masek, 107, of Scottsbluff, died May 4, 2021, at The Residency in Scottsbluff. Visitation will be held from 5-7 PM on Thursday at Gering Memorial Chapel 1755 11th Street in Gering. Visitation and a Vigil Service will be held at 7 PM on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Gering. The Rosary will be prayed at 9:30 AM with Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 7, 2021, at the church with Father Mike McDonald officiating. The services will be livestreamed on the Christ the King Gering NE youtube channel. Interment will follow at West Lawn Cemetery in Gering. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Masek Foundation, Christ the King Catholic Church, the Residency, or donor’s choice. Online condolences may be left at www.geringchapel.com
Margaret was born January 11, 1914, on a farm in Mitchell Valley in western Nebraska. She was the oldest of five children born to Frank and Dessa (Morrison) Allison. After moving to Wyoming in her childhood, the family returned to Nebraska where Margaret attended Gering High School, playing first chair violin in the school orchestra and graduating in 1931 as Valedictorian of her class.
On June 27, 1933, she married Fred F. Masek at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff. They are the parents of seven children: Marjorie Tello of Fort Collins, CO, Alan Masek and Phyllis Beauvais of Bridgewater, CT, Anne Marie Masek of Naitauba, Fiji, Joseph Masek of Gering, Mary Louise McCloskey of French Village, Nova Scotia, and Sister M. Katerina Masek, RSM, of Phoenix, AZ.
A woman of faith, Margaret was active in Christ the King parish in Gering and was first local Grand Regent of Catholic Daughters. An example of her prizewinning needlepoint work is on a chair in the governor’s mansion in Lincoln, NE. She enjoyed gardening and playing bridge, but her greatest work was caring for her family, instilling in them a love of God and nature as well as of music and learning. She was a great story-teller and had a delightful sense of humor. Her acute mind and sense of gratitude for her many blessings persisted as she aged, and she was loved and respected as a source of wisdom by all who knew her. She cherished her many friends at The Residency, who were like family to her.
In 1983, she and her husband Fred established the Masek Foundation, dedicated to serving the needs of those not blessed with adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, or health care. She continued to actively serve on the Board of Directors until her death.
Margaret is survived by her youngest brother, Earl, of Temple, TX, her seven children, 21 grandchildren, 36 great grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
She was preceded in death by her husband Fred in 1999, her parents, and three brothers—Frank, Clinton Neil, and Howard.
