He was born in San Jose, CA, the second child of John and Helen Mason. At the age of 12 John and his mother moved to Waitsburg, WA, a small farming town northeast of Walla Walla. He spoke fondly of his time there, with his experiences working on farms in the area, hunting, fishing and enjoying a rural upbringing. He played football, basketball, and trombone in high school.
After finishing high school in 1952, he enlisted with the Navy during the Korean Conflict. After doing boot camp in San Diego, he was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan where he was a teletype operator. He had many fond memories of his time stationed in Japan and would recount often getting soup late at night from the local noodle carts off base. He was later transferred to the USS Missouri where he completed his service in 1956. He enjoyed his time in the service and was proud of his status as a US Naval veteran.
Upon returning to civilian life, he worked as a truck driver in the Oxnard area. His father in 1957 helped John obtain employment with the phone company as an installer. He worked there for 33 years having worked himself up from a phone installer in the Monterey area, to switchman and eventually as a field service engineer in their power group, internally referred to as the “Arc and Spark Group”.
In the late 1950s he met his one and only love, Magdalene Ferrigno, an introduction through mutual friends. They married in November of 1957 and settled on the Monterey Peninsula, purchasing a home where they raised two sons. He was active with his boys as they grew up. He volunteered for 56 years at the AT&T ProAm in Pebble Beach, starting his efforts volunteering back when it was originally hosted by Bing Crosby. In 1977, John was elected to the Monterey School Board and served until 1985 where he served his final term as the board president. He made many friends and had fond memories of his time volunteering at the ProAm and the on the school board.
After the passing of his wife in early 2015, John continued to stay active with the ProAm. He regularly enjoyed going out with his various breakfast and dinner groups, and often visited with his son in southern California and his family to celebrate holidays and other special occasions.
Those who knew John often described him as a great guy and true gentlemen. He is survived by his older sister, Dorothy, two sons, Jeff and Keith, Keith’s wife, Betty Jo, and three grandchildren, Jane, Daniel and Amy.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at San Carlos Cathedral (500 Church St.) in Monterey, California on Friday October 1, at 9:30 AM.
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