Russell Alan Mason

Russell Alan Mason was born March 11, 1930, in Peoria, Illinois, to Vesta Maude Buck and Frank Russell Mason. He was 96-years old and died at 11:30 am on May 27, 2026, at his home in Acworth, Georgia, as his heart gave out. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Virginia Jones Mason; daughter Leslie Mason Keener and son-in-law John F. Keener, and daughter Laura Elizabeth Mason; granddaughter Carolyn Keener Cohee and grandson-in-law CDR Adam R. Cohee; granddaughter Kellie Mason Metcalfe and grandson-in-law Christopher T. Metcalfe; grandson Forrest Russell Sherman; granddaghter Madison Virginia Culp; great granddaughter Ruth Virginia Cohee; great grandson Calvin Henry Cohee; great granddaughter Haylie Jane Metcalfe; and brother-in-law Nelson R. Jones and sister-in-law Linda K. Jones. He was predeceased by his parents and a son Jeffery Alan Mason who died at childbirth, and his sister Gwendolyn Elinor Fritze.

Russ graduated from Peoria Central High School in 1947and received a BS degree in Business Administration from Bradley University in 1951. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951 during the Korean War, but was honorably discharged 6 months later as his father died and he was the only son. He started his career at Caterpillar Tractor Company but was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 to finish his two-year military obligation.

He met his wife Jinny at Caterpillar and after a whirlwind courtship, they were married in Peoria at the 1st Methodist Church on November 30, 1957. They moved to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, where he continued his Caterpiller Export Department career as Field Engineer. After moving to Guatemala City he was promoted to District Representative which he served in subsequent moves to Mexico City and Lima, Peru. He returned to Caterpillar’s home office in Peoria in 1967 as Sales Training Manager. He was co-founder and President of Alabama Machinery Company in Birmingham, AL, from 1967 to 1981.

He worked in export sales for AIS International and set up a dealer network for Mitsubishi Construction Equipment. In 1987 he took a position in New Jersey as Vice-President of Fleet Operations for Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation until 1993. A quadruple by-pass forced him to retire from the heavy equipment industry in 1997 and he moved with his wife to League City, Texas, where he lived for 23 years. Never wanting to completely retire, he worked as Site Coordinator for ESL classes at College of the Mainland in Texas City. He was very proud of being bilingual and this gave him an opportunity to continue speaking Spanish.

In his early years he was an avid sailor. He owned two Star Sailboats and qualified for the North American Championships though his military duty prevented him from participating. In 1975 he bought a 30-ft. sloop, the Ramjammer I, which he sailed out of Pensacola, Florida, and in 1983 he bought a 37-ft. cutter rig, the Ramjammer II, which he sailed out of Nassau Bay, Texas, and later on the Hudson River.

He spent his last few years writing stories about his family and his trips. He was enormously proud of his daughters and grandchildren and was very excited to meet his great grandchildren. His genealogy research showed him to have lived longer than any other Mason in his line, and he felt that gave him the title of The Grand Patriarch. A Celebration of Life will be held August 8, 2026, at Holbrook in Acworth, Georgia.