Obituaries

Elaine and I were so sorry to hear of John's passing. We had planned to come over, but had a medical emergency. Darby and Jason have such fond memories of the classes he taught they both still scuba dive and their children do also. It was such a pleasure to have John as such an outstanding teacher at Shawnee. He made my job much easier. He will be missed, but not forgotten. Charles Buroker.

My deepest condolences for your loss. Words cannot express the sorrow that I'm sure you are all feeling and I hope that happy memories will help you through this difficult time. Mr. Mason was a Physics teacher of mine about 25 years ago at Shawnee High School (Mrs. Mason was too) and I would like to share a memory I have from one of his classes. One day, we had arrived to the classroom to find a 5lbs mass hanging from a string from the ceiling in the middle of the room. During the class, Mr. Mason grabbed the mass, moved to one side of the classroom, held the mass up to his cheek, and let ago. As the mass was swinging clear accross the room, he explained that the mass would never return at or beyond it's original height since energy was leaving the system. As the mass came barreling towards his face, it slowed down and must have barely brushed his beard before coming to a stop and swinging the other way. It was a very clear and concise lesson that was very memorable for everyone in the room. Fast forward a couple weeks and we arrived in the classromm with that same 5lbs mass hanging this time from a spring attached to the ceiling. Before class began, a student walked up to the mass to investigate. The student grabbed the mass and pulled it down to the top of his head. He then repeated the lesson Mr. Mason had taught us. The student let go of the mass and must have stood up just a little taller as it promptly came down and whacked him in the head. As you can imagine, everyone was laughing; even the student that had just learned the hard way. And this was the magic that Mr. Mason had. He taught a class that could have been boring and/or complicated, and taught it in a way that was so fun and easy to understand that you didn't need to be a genius to confidently apply those learnings (even if you don't get the outcome you expected). Through his work as a teacher Mr. Mason touched the lives of many and the world is brighter because he was a part of it. I know he certainly had a positive influence on my life, for which I am gratetful. Sincerly, Eric Seller Shawnee Class of 1999

Although physics was such a Challenging class (especially first period of senior year) Mr Mason made it understandable and applicable to daily living. I appreciated his warm and genuine personality. What a positive influence he has made upon thousands of individuals over the years! Angie Lehwald Jones

When I asked my now grown children if they had Mr. Mason in high school, my son, Rick had him for physics and had this to say: "Yeah. My favorite teacher by far. He used to use automotive examples in class and included me in the discussions. He used to drop off automobile magazines for me to read in Saturday school." My daughter, Angie, also had him and remembers how interesting he made physics. So he had me AND my 2 children!

Sherry, I was so sorry to hear of the passing of your husband John. I remember how patient and kind he was to me, as a struggling 9th grader, in his science class in 1970. I would guess that anyone who had "Mr. Mason" as their teacher, would say the same. Years later I would have the privilege of working with you at SMS. You are in my thoughts and prayers Sincerely, Roz Lehwald Wiechart

Dear John: We had the honor and privilege to come to know you over the years and time spent with you especially recently at Devin's high school graduation in June. We are grateful for the memories we shared. We all will miss you. Please keep an eye on all of us. RIP my friend. Girish Malhotra