Betty W. Mason, a long time former resident of Grand Terrace, passed away on October 25th, 2017 in Edgewood, Washington. She is survived by her four children William Mason, Patricia Watt (John), Sandra Jimenez (Joseph), Vicki Doyle (Leo), her seven grandchildren Rose Watt Gaines, Mike Watt (Rachel), Melissa Jimenez Nemire (Chad), Eric Jimenez, Leo Jr., Todd and Noah Doyle (Vanessa), and eleven great-grandchildren, Keshawn Watt, Jason, Jaden and Miah Gaines, Mason and Cooper Nemire, Leah Kelso, Peter Molina, Jerad, Vivian, and Violet Doyle.
Betty was born in November of 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri and worked as a legal secretary after college. She married Dr. Alfred Mason, now deceased, in March of 1941 at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas where he was stationed for training with the Missouri National Guard.
During World War II, Betty worked in the transportation department at Fort Lewis, Washington, which provided transportation of wounded soldiers of the Pacific war zones to hospitals nearest their homes. After the war, Betty and her husband settled in southern California, firstly in Los Angeles and then lived 45 years in her beloved little city of Grand Terrace. Betty was asked to apply at Colton High School for a new position in career planning aimed to help kids get off welfare. She believed very strongly in the program. So she dedicated the next 18 years of her life working for the school district. She later became school secretary at the continuation high school, where she helped more kids, many of them coming in to the office just to start their day with a friendly hello. Her natural leadership came through as she served as the CSEA union president.
Betty has served our local community as a Cub Scout leader and den mother, Blue Bird and Camp Fire Girl leader, and Sunday school teacher. The local kids nicknamed Betty “Mama Mason.” She received an Honorary Life Membership in both Los Angeles and Grand Terrace School’s PTA for her volunteer work and served as PTA President at both locations. In Grand Terrace, she organized and established a library in all three schools (before our high school was built) after hundreds of volunteer hours and fund raising. She was very involved with the local school board. Betty was one of the major forces behind making Grand Terrace a city and mentored our first mayor.
Betty was awarded an Honorary Life Membership award from the Grand Terrace Woman’s Club, where she was still a member, and while President, inaugurated the fingerprinting program, provided new flags for all our schools and supported the beginning of our donations of coloring books and crayons to the pediatric cancer units at Kaiser and LLU hospitals. Betty also was a very active member of the Colton Woman’s Club where she served as president prior to her move to Washington to be with her daughter Patricia (Pam) and her extended family. Betty also proudly represented our club at the district level as education chairman, safety chairman, treasurer, recording secretary and financial secretary at San Bernardino District #21 Woman’s Club.
Betty received the prestigious Women of Distinction award from the California Legislation Congressman 63rd District for her dedicated community service. Betty worked hard serving her community and country as a Red Cross volunteer at the former 63rd Military Airlift Wing at Norton Air Force Base office. The Red Cross chapter developed a volunteer.