Charles William (“Bill”) Mason was welcomed into the world on August 1, 1927 as the third child of Anna Margaret Anderson and Stephen Cortez Mason. Born to a mother with a wonderful sense of humor and a father with a strong work ethic, both of whom were devoted to their family, Bill inherited all of these traits and magnified them throughout his own life.
Bill had many talents. He was a poet, artist, published photographer and cartoonist. Never one to pass up the chance for a good pun or a funny cartoon, no one, and no scrap of paper, was safe from his good-hearted humor. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike looked forward to the day their cartoon-festooned birthday cards would arrive in their mailboxes. Bill was known to draw hilarious cartoons, often depicting events from the previous week, on the back of the program during church services. He would then quietly pass the cartoon to the person sitting next to him and it would continue down the row. This inevitably resulted in Bill reverently focused on the speaker while the pew filled with his family members sat with heads owed and shoulders shaking in silent laughter.
Bill grew up on San Juan Island, Washington, in the town of Friday Harbor. He spent many happy childhood hours exploring the forests, fields, and beaches surrounding his family home. He developed a deep love for the ocean and became an accomplished swimmer. This ability would later lead to his
service in the Navy as a rescue swimmer. He had remarkable stories about diving from the deck of a military vessel to retrieve a fellow sailor who had gone overboard.
A particularly inquisitive child, young Bill was never one to simply accept a statement as true. He spent one memorable afternoon repeatedly climbing into the hayloft of the barn with his cat. Having heard the popular adage, “Cats always land on their feet,” Bill determined to test this theory with the help of his increasingly unwilling feline partner, whom he continuously threw from the loft. For the record, the cat did land on its feet every time! Though the experiment was prematurely concluded when Bill could no longer find the cat.
Bill left home immediately following his early high school graduation at the age of 17. He was carrying the last permission slip he would ever need from his mother. The year was 1945 and Bill was anxious to join his friends and classmates and do his duty to his country by joining the Navy. He graduated from basic training shortly after peace was declared.
While in California, Bill met the love of his life in the form of a sweet and beautiful young woman from Texas. He and Wanda Louise (“Myke”) Rusling, eloped to Las Vegas when they were both just 18 years old. The two loved to tell tall tales about how they met. One family favorite had Myke up to her ankles stomping grapes in a giant vat. When Bill saw her, he exclaimed, “Mama Mia! I always wanted a wife with the purple legs!”
Together Bill and Myke founded a family centered on their love for one another and their love of God. Bill and Myke raised their children to be fiercely loyal to their family and with a deep love of God. This strong sense of family has become a hallmark in the lives of his children and grandchildren who are raising his great and great-great-grandchildren to feel the same. Bill was a constant force for good in the lives of his family. He possessed an unfailingly accurate moral compass and used his quiet strength in a way that made him the safe place for his wife, children, and many of his grandchildren.
When his time in the Navy came to an end, Bill joined the United States Coast Guard. His distinguished career included duty at sea, teaching at the Coast Guard Academy, and leading and coaching the Coast Guard’s competition shooting team. His final assignment was as captain of a buoy tender in Alaska. Bill treasured the memories and many friendships he created during his years in the service and always delighted in visits from fellow servicemen and reading the letters that often began, “Dear Skipper.”
Bill and Myke were blessed with the gift of loving people into their lives. As they traveled the country from coast to coast, they created and kept life-long friends whom they adored. These friends, and their children, continue to hold a place of honor in our hearts.
Though he left this world on the 15 th of October, 2023, Bill wouldn’t want us to grieve too much or too long. Rather, he would have us focus on the love and joy we have in our lives and the happy memories we have of our time with him. He would have us turn to God and each other.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Mykel Mason; daughter, Johnda (Nick) Smith; son-in-law, Jim Backus; honorary son, Mickey (Sandra) Strong; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Myke; son, Charles William Mason Jr; and daughter, Meryle (Jim) Backus. It is easy to imagine the joy that must have reverberated across all of Heaven when he was reunited with his love after having so dearly missed her for the last twenty years. What a beautiful moment it must have been when he was finally able to meet the son who was born, and also passed, while Bill was deployed at sea. We know his daughter was there, anxious for her turn for a hug from the father she adored. The reunion with his parents and siblings must have been equally joyful.
Bill’s legacy of devotion to God, family, and country lives on in the hearts and lives of his children, grand-children, great and great-great-grandchildren. In keeping with family tradition, there will be no funeral services. His family will gather at his graveside on San Juan Island for a private service and his internment on the 4 th of November, 2023.
