Marie K. Mason (Marie Kazuko Tomino Mason), of Havre de Grace, MD, passed away on April 1, 2019. She was 96.
Ms. Mason was born in Bryn-Mawr, PA, to Imasumi Tomino and Sumi Fujimoto Tomino. She was the beloved mother of Marlise Dorene Mason of Arnold, MD, Ralph B. Mason, Jr., of Mt. Airy, MD and Rikki Tomino Bennington of Havre de Grace, MD. She was the adored grandmother of Brian Leo Brennan, Christopher Mason, James Mason, Jane Bownes, Scott Mason, Katie Andrews, Sarah Moore, Kendra Grichuhin, Alex Bennington, and Ronald Bennington, and great-grandmother to 8 children. She was predeceased by all of her siblings except her half-brother Akemi R. Kuroda of Swarthmore, PA.
Marie was a Registered Nurse in Philadelphia and Aberdeen Proving Ground. She was a nurse to all her family and friends, visiting them often, long after her career ended. Many remember her from the Lighthouse Galley restaurant her husband Ralph owned, a popular local teen and armed forces hangout in the 50's. She taught many of them to dance.
Recently she enjoyed singing karaoke covering many genres of music, including Country, Show tunes and Oldies from the 40's to the 70's. Her stage name was The Dragon Lady and she often received the biggest applause of the night. She was an avid sports enthusiast of all kinds, including horse racing.
She was an accomplished artist: illustrator, painter, etcher and seamstress (making over 50 outfits representing dolls from all over the world) and was known for her wonderful drawings, like the cover self-portrait on the book written about her family called "The Jap Thing". She lived life fully and always her own way. She was proud to be a conservative Trump supporter; she loved her country and her family, and helped them any way she could. She was one of the "givers" in this world.
A Memorial Celebration will be held on Sunday, April 28 from 12:30-3:30 pm at MacGregors Restaurant, 331 Saint John Street, Havre de Grace, MD. Open to close friends and family who RSVP Marlise Mason at 410-989-3868. Online condolences may be made to www.zellmanfuneralhome.com and/or https://www.facebook.com/marie.mason.372 or email to marlise@comcast.net.