Sharon Carol Mason

Sharon C. Mason, 80, of Hickory Corners, Michigan died peacefully at New Friends Memory Care & Assisted Living Facility on Thursday, October 18, 2018.

Born March 22, 1938 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sharon Carol Mason grew up in the Midland Park community on Gull Lake, sharing her family's two-bedroom cottage with her parents and three younger siblings. A natural athlete, she spent summers swimming and winters skating on the lake and was a cheerleader and majorette for Kellogg High School, graduating in 1956.

Sharon worked as a secretary for Kingscott Associates architects in Kalamazoo before turning westward to a job as the assistant to the Dean of the School of Business at the University of Chicago. With his glowing recommendation, she moved next to Ann Arbor to become the assistant to Dean Floyd Bond in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. But when she fell in love with San Francisco during a visit, she sold all her possessions—including a brand-new yellow Camaro—and moved to the City by the Bay fortified with $2,000 savings and the confidence she'd find a job when she arrived. And she did, working first for a law firm and then for Transamerica Insurance for nearly three decades, finishing her career there as assistant to the CEO.

Sharon loved her adopted city passionately, walking its hills every day from her apartment in the Marina District and certainly ranking among its most devoted tour guides. She enjoyed treating visiting friends and family to the view from the top floor of the Transamerica building, a San Franciscan landmark.

Sharon will be remembered as a natural beauty with a sophisticated sense of style. In early years, she worked as a print advertising model, and she dressed impeccably throughout her life. Sharon traveled widely, making expeditions with friends to ski Lake Tahoe, hike Angel Island and Yosemite, and sail the San Francisco Bay. Hawaii and Cabo San Lucas were also favorite destinations, but she never failed to spend 4th of July at Gull Lake, bringing her beloved nieces and nephews a fire-cracker shaped box of famous See's candies. After she retired and returned to Southwest Michigan in 1997, Sharon spent winters in Florida and summers on Gull Lake, just as she had as a girl.

Sharon's mother, Thelma Meyle Mason, and father, Robert Lee Mason, preceded her in death. She is survived by brothers Lynn E. Mason and Robert L. Mason (wife Vicki), and sister Janice (Mason) Waldorf (husband Mike); nieces Stephanie (Mason) Dunnick and Kim (Mason) Siebert; nephews Bo Snyder, Todd Snyder, Judd Snyder, Trevor Mason and Rob Mason; and many close friends, including special friend Butch Cantrell.

Family and close friends are invited to gather at Yorkville Cemetery, adjacent to Gull Lake for a graveside service at 3:00 p.m. Monday, October 22, 2018. Immediately following at 3:30 p.m. family, friends & acquaintances will meet for Celebration of Life Reception at Gull Lake View Golf Resort, 7417 North 39th St., Augusta, MI 49012.

Gifts in Sharon Mason's memory may be made to New Friends Memory Care of Kalamazoo, 3700 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49006; or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, 222 N. Kalamazoo Mall, Ste. 100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Her family thanks the caring staff at both organizations for providing compassionate care at the end of Sharon's life.

We extend grateful thanks to staff at New Friends Memory Care of Kalamazoo and Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, who provided compassionate care and support at the end of Sharon's life. Gifts in Sharon Mason's memory may be made to New Friends Memory Care of Kalamazoo, 3700 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49006; or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, 222 N. Kalamazoo Mall, Ste. 100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Her family thanks the caring staff at both organizations for providing compassionate care at the end of Sharon's life.

Arrangements are by Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care Richland Chapel. Personal messages for the family may be placed here at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.