Jeffry Lee Mason, RN, BSN, CCRN, 44, died February 7, 2008. He was born in Kingman, KS on September 1, 1963. He graduated valedictorian of his class from Kingman High School, Kingman, KS; attended Emporia State University; received his RN Diploma from Newman Hospital School of Nursing, Emporia, KS; and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA.
Jeff was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emporia, KS.
He was a member of NCONL (North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders), serving on the Board for several years. Jeff also was a member of AACN (American Association of Critical-care Nurses).
Jeff worked at WakeMed Cary Hospital, first as an ICU nurse, then as Nurse Manager of the Observation Unit, ICU and Vascular Access Nursing. Jeff was currently practicing his profession as a part of the Emergency Unit. He was a devoted and caring registered nurse. Jeff was responsible for setting up the ICU units in the building process. He also spent time overseeing the pharmacy in its move to the technological age. Jeff loved to teach and taught classes to nurses to enable them to achieve different levels of certification. He was a "Triple Crown" instructor in ACLS, PALS, and BLS. Jeff combined his extensive knowledge of technology with his medical knowledge to help develop and operate technology systems. He also loved children and animals, dogs in particular, and enjoyed traveling.
Jeff practiced his profession at Newman Memorial Hospital in Emporia, KS; Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, OK; and Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA before moving to WakeMed at Cary, NC.
Jeff is survived by his parents, Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, Kingman, KS; paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, Council Grove, KS; maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, Emporia, KS; two uncles and an aunt; three cousins and their families; numerous family members in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; and his beloved dog, Alex P. Beagle.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr., Emporia, KS.
Mass for the repose of his soul was said at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Kingman, Kansas, and prayers were also said at St. Rose Catholic Church in Council Grove, Kansas.
Two Memorial Celebration Services and Visitations were held to accommodate all of his "WakeMed Family." WakeMed Chaplain Diane Cox presided. The family received friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Jeff's memory to the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603, or Duke Children's Hospital, 512 S. Mangum St., Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701.
Kingman Leader Courier
Jeff's Life Story
Who was Jeff Mason? He was truly a "bigger than life" person! He was very unique because he was very outgoing, energized by people and activities, and action oriented. At the same time, Jeff could also be described as liking one-on-one interaction, preferring some quiet time, and being wise enough to know when he needed to take more time to understand things before taking action.
Jeff was bi-dexterous when it came to using his hands and also in what he did in life as he operated equally well in any given situation. He sometimes made decisions based on feelings, was super sensitive to others, and seemed to know when to avoid conflicts. Jeff seemed to have a way of knowing what needed to be addressed based on facts and logic, when it was necessary to take appropriate action, how to remain objective about situations, and when it was necessary to address conflict.
Multi-tasking seemed easy for him. He could jump into action and plan on the go when needed. He was flexible and free. Yet, he was a master at planning everything out to the last little detail, was always planned ahead, and was always aware of deadlines, dates, and routines. His planning and organizing skills were second to none.
Jeffry Lee Mason was born on Sunday, September 1, 1963, at 4:00 p.m. at the Kingman Memorial Hospital in Kingman, Kansas, to Don L. and Betty Rose Mason. He was an only child.
Jeff had a never ending inquiring mind and was curious about and interested in everyone and everything around him. He was never interested in organized sports as a child but did like to play with his friends. He was a basketball manager during middle school. He enjoyed writing, biking, cooking, swimming, nature, dancing, chess, coin collecting, playing cards, playing chess, reading, writing, and life. He was a Boy Scout. He had a vivid imagination and loved to create "STUFF." The book he wrote (and his mother illustrated) at age seven when he was in second grade titled THE FORGETFUL BUNNY remains a family heirloom. It was a prize winner in school and is truly a wonderful story. He did not like to do art as it was one of the few things he did not excel in, so he had MOM do the pictures of what he wanted in the story. The story probably should be published as it is truly a GREAT children's book.
Jeff was lucky to have two sets of grandparents, two sets of great grand parents and a great, great grandmother when he was born. All of them lived within fifteen miles of each other. While growing up, he loved to spend a few weeks of each summer visiting them. His one set of grandparents lived in town and the other set lived thirteen miles out in the country so he was able to experience many, many different activities. His one set of grandparents were in the mercantile business and the other set were rancher/farmers. He especially liked to go to the gift and clothing markets with one set and loved to help the other set tend the crops and cattle. Great Grandpa Saunders taught his great grandson to love steak at a very young age, and Great Grandma Saunders always started the popcorn popping the minute he arrived.
One of his hobbies was collecting signatures of famous people. He wrote them letters with quilt squares included and ask them to sign in permanent marker. He received back the signed squares from many famous people (Red Skelton, Henry Fonda, Lillian Carter, Barbara Stanwick, Frank Sinatra, Lady Bird Johnson, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Betty Ford, Roy Rogers, Isabel Sanford, Olive Ann Beech, John Rhodes, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Karl Menninger, and George Burns, to name a few.) He was able to get the autographed blocks back from famous people from all walks of life. It was a very amazing project. Jeff was also a coin collector. He continued this hobby even as an adult. Cooking was also a hobby. He started with his Incredible Eatable Oven as a very young child. We will never forget his wonderful GREEN coconut cream pie made from scratch! He could cook anything and as an adult was always making things for his co-workers. His idea of relaxation was to cook a wonderful meal for a houseful of guests.
Jeff had several memorable achievements as a child. He was the spelling bee winner of his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class. He also got excellent ratings at school organized music festivals for playing his cornet. He was the winner of the Summer Reading Program held by the Public library during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th grade. He was excellent at any academic endeavor he choose to undertake as he had taught himself to read by age four!
By the time Jeff reached middle school he was helping paint houses, school buildings inside and out. He also learned how to make building repairs and became very skilled a plaster work. While growing up he was always redecorating the basement.
Jeff was enthused to move on to high school where he was able to participate in a variety of challenging classes. He received awards at music festivals, acted in plays, speech, and was a member of science club. He was awarded many speech and drama awards and received a letter in music. He was on the Forensics Team. Jeff attended Boys State. He was on the A Honor Roll every semester of his high school career and graduate with a 4.0 grade point grade average. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He received the Woolsey Scholarship and the Messenger Scholarship.
He graduated from Kingman High School, located in Kingman, Kansas, in 1981. He enjoyed learning. His favorite classes were math, science, and English. The teachers he most admired while in school were his MOM, and Mrs. Goff during K-5, Mrs. Akins while in 6-8, and his DAD, Joy Kahmeyer, Clark Killion, Ed Craig, and Ernie Wertzburger while in 9-12.
Jeff attended college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and the Newman's Hospital School of Nursing, where he graduated with an RN in Nursing in 1985. Jeff continued his education and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA. He continued to constantly challenge himself and obtained many other certifications and taught nurse certification classes later in his career. What classes did he like best in College? That's easy, anything to do with nursing.
Jeff was dedicated to helping others and did so in his spare time while in college and while working at the rest home the years he attended college. He always found time to "help" the residents enjoy life a bit more. He was a relentless watchdog about the welfare of residents.
Who were his friends while growing up? Everybody was his friend. He loved people from young to old, rich to poor, dirty to clean. I don't think he ever met a stranger! Some of his friends growing up were Scott Ward, Alan Ward, Mike Ward, Brenda Bales, Kristy Young, Scott Roy, Stacia Roy, Robin Howard, Sheila Simpson, Sandra Dodge, Shelli Baker, Michelle Gangwere, Kellie Blacker, Jodie Silvey, Teresa Witt, Steven Wunsch, Bryan Taber, Stacy Baruth, Molly Meisenheimer, Janell Kaufman, Shawn Hubbell, Jerry Kinyon, and Tiger Craig, to mention a few.
Jeff was never married and had no children. His primary occupation was nursing. He was also a Technology Systems Operator for Sharp's Hospital for a time as they needed a nurse that knew technology to do some of the programming. He also spent a bit of time working as a nurse evaluator of services for BlueCross/BlueShield. He started his nursing career in 1985 and first worked at Newman's Hospital in Emporia, Kansas, then at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by Sharp's Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, and lastly, at WakeMed Hospital in Cary, North Carolina. He was a staff nurse and worked emergency, trauma, and ICU units most of the time. He was an Interim manger of SICU and Assist Device Program at Sharp's Memorial before moving to WakeMed where he worked as Nurse Manager of Observation Unit, ICU, and Vascular Access Nursing. He also worked for WakeMed as a staff nurse in the ICU and Emergency Unit.
While at WakeMed he designed and equipped the ICU when the new addition was built. He was also an interim manger for the Pharmacy Department and guided them into the era of technology. Jeff had a talent for anything he chose to do.
Jeff was never in the military.
When he reached adulthood he continued the hobbies of coin collecting, volunteer work, and traveling. He continued the love of swimming and biking during adult life. He found cooking to be a very relaxing activity. Cooking for large groups of friends was his idea of fun. He was always making things and taking them to work to share with his staff and co-workers.
Jeff continued to collect coins, volunteer, cook, and travel during adulthood. He was also into swimming, biking, and working out at the gym. He loved to lift weights.
Jeff had belonged to several different organizations and clubs while growing up. He had been involved in volunteer work. He was always available to help anyone in need and many people have credited him as the person that caused them to excel and become successful. He was an organizer of United Way Drives as an adult. His political affiliation was a private matter and changed from time to time. He was more interested in the cause and the qualifications of people than he was in political party affiliation.
Jeff belonged to the Scared Heart Catholic Church, joining while a student at Newman's Nursing School in Emporia, Kansas.
Jeff loved to travel. He visited Mexico, several islands, and many states in the United States of America. He loved to go to the State Capitol of every state he visited. He made several return trips to the state of Hawaii.
Jeff loved animals. He had tropical fish, hamsters, cats, and dogs. The first dog in his life was part of the family before he was born. His name was Happy and he thought Jeff belonged to him. He was very protective of Jeff. He was also welcomed home by a Siamese cat named Socks. His first puppy was a poodle named Prince Pepper. He also had cats named Picks, Butterball, Boots, Tigger, Snowball, Pumpkin, Squirt, Morris, and Tubby. He had two little west highland terriers named Katy and Penny. As an adult he had a cat, a cocker spaniel, and his last pet was a beagle named Alex who is now fourteen years old.
Jeffry passed away at WakeMed Center in Cary, North Carolina. He had had emergency surgery for a perforated intestine (cause unknown), developed peritonitis, and did not recover. This happened in a time period of about one week.
Jeff is survived by his parents Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, uncle and aunt Virgil and Harriet Shellenberger and cousins Mark and Susan Morris and sons Joshua and Zachary, John and Denise Wyrick and son Brian, and Jeff and Amy Larson and daughters Hilary and Abby, plus numerous additional relatives in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Donald Hobert Mason
Grandson of Laura Lorraine Saunders Mason
Grandson of Virgil Roosevelt Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Flora Rose Leffler Shellenberger
Jeff was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emporia, KS.
He was a member of NCONL (North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders), serving on the Board for several years. Jeff also was a member of AACN (American Association of Critical-care Nurses).
Jeff worked at WakeMed Cary Hospital, first as an ICU nurse, then as Nurse Manager of the Observation Unit, ICU and Vascular Access Nursing. Jeff was currently practicing his profession as a part of the Emergency Unit. He was a devoted and caring registered nurse. Jeff was responsible for setting up the ICU units in the building process. He also spent time overseeing the pharmacy in its move to the technological age. Jeff loved to teach and taught classes to nurses to enable them to achieve different levels of certification. He was a "Triple Crown" instructor in ACLS, PALS, and BLS. Jeff combined his extensive knowledge of technology with his medical knowledge to help develop and operate technology systems. He also loved children and animals, dogs in particular, and enjoyed traveling.
Jeff practiced his profession at Newman Memorial Hospital in Emporia, KS; Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, OK; and Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA before moving to WakeMed at Cary, NC.
Jeff is survived by his parents, Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, Kingman, KS; paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, Council Grove, KS; maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, Emporia, KS; two uncles and an aunt; three cousins and their families; numerous family members in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; and his beloved dog, Alex P. Beagle.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr., Emporia, KS.
Mass for the repose of his soul was said at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Kingman, Kansas, and prayers were also said at St. Rose Catholic Church in Council Grove, Kansas.
Two Memorial Celebration Services and Visitations were held to accommodate all of his "WakeMed Family." WakeMed Chaplain Diane Cox presided. The family received friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Jeff's memory to the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603, or Duke Children's Hospital, 512 S. Mangum St., Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701.
Kingman Leader Courier
Jeff's Life Story
Who was Jeff Mason? He was truly a "bigger than life" person! He was very unique because he was very outgoing, energized by people and activities, and action oriented. At the same time, Jeff could also be described as liking one-on-one interaction, preferring some quiet time, and being wise enough to know when he needed to take more time to understand things before taking action.
Jeff was bi-dexterous when it came to using his hands and also in what he did in life as he operated equally well in any given situation. He sometimes made decisions based on feelings, was super sensitive to others, and seemed to know when to avoid conflicts. Jeff seemed to have a way of knowing what needed to be addressed based on facts and logic, when it was necessary to take appropriate action, how to remain objective about situations, and when it was necessary to address conflict.
Multi-tasking seemed easy for him. He could jump into action and plan on the go when needed. He was flexible and free. Yet, he was a master at planning everything out to the last little detail, was always planned ahead, and was always aware of deadlines, dates, and routines. His planning and organizing skills were second to none.
Jeffry Lee Mason was born on Sunday, September 1, 1963, at 4:00 p.m. at the Kingman Memorial Hospital in Kingman, Kansas, to Don L. and Betty Rose Mason. He was an only child.
Jeff had a never ending inquiring mind and was curious about and interested in everyone and everything around him. He was never interested in organized sports as a child but did like to play with his friends. He was a basketball manager during middle school. He enjoyed writing, biking, cooking, swimming, nature, dancing, chess, coin collecting, playing cards, playing chess, reading, writing, and life. He was a Boy Scout. He had a vivid imagination and loved to create "STUFF." The book he wrote (and his mother illustrated) at age seven when he was in second grade titled THE FORGETFUL BUNNY remains a family heirloom. It was a prize winner in school and is truly a wonderful story. He did not like to do art as it was one of the few things he did not excel in, so he had MOM do the pictures of what he wanted in the story. The story probably should be published as it is truly a GREAT children's book.
Jeff was lucky to have two sets of grandparents, two sets of great grand parents and a great, great grandmother when he was born. All of them lived within fifteen miles of each other. While growing up, he loved to spend a few weeks of each summer visiting them. His one set of grandparents lived in town and the other set lived thirteen miles out in the country so he was able to experience many, many different activities. His one set of grandparents were in the mercantile business and the other set were rancher/farmers. He especially liked to go to the gift and clothing markets with one set and loved to help the other set tend the crops and cattle. Great Grandpa Saunders taught his great grandson to love steak at a very young age, and Great Grandma Saunders always started the popcorn popping the minute he arrived.
One of his hobbies was collecting signatures of famous people. He wrote them letters with quilt squares included and ask them to sign in permanent marker. He received back the signed squares from many famous people (Red Skelton, Henry Fonda, Lillian Carter, Barbara Stanwick, Frank Sinatra, Lady Bird Johnson, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Betty Ford, Roy Rogers, Isabel Sanford, Olive Ann Beech, John Rhodes, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Karl Menninger, and George Burns, to name a few.) He was able to get the autographed blocks back from famous people from all walks of life. It was a very amazing project. Jeff was also a coin collector. He continued this hobby even as an adult. Cooking was also a hobby. He started with his Incredible Eatable Oven as a very young child. We will never forget his wonderful GREEN coconut cream pie made from scratch! He could cook anything and as an adult was always making things for his co-workers. His idea of relaxation was to cook a wonderful meal for a houseful of guests.
Jeff had several memorable achievements as a child. He was the spelling bee winner of his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class. He also got excellent ratings at school organized music festivals for playing his cornet. He was the winner of the Summer Reading Program held by the Public library during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th grade. He was excellent at any academic endeavor he choose to undertake as he had taught himself to read by age four!
By the time Jeff reached middle school he was helping paint houses, school buildings inside and out. He also learned how to make building repairs and became very skilled a plaster work. While growing up he was always redecorating the basement.
Jeff was enthused to move on to high school where he was able to participate in a variety of challenging classes. He received awards at music festivals, acted in plays, speech, and was a member of science club. He was awarded many speech and drama awards and received a letter in music. He was on the Forensics Team. Jeff attended Boys State. He was on the A Honor Roll every semester of his high school career and graduate with a 4.0 grade point grade average. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He received the Woolsey Scholarship and the Messenger Scholarship.
He graduated from Kingman High School, located in Kingman, Kansas, in 1981. He enjoyed learning. His favorite classes were math, science, and English. The teachers he most admired while in school were his MOM, and Mrs. Goff during K-5, Mrs. Akins while in 6-8, and his DAD, Joy Kahmeyer, Clark Killion, Ed Craig, and Ernie Wertzburger while in 9-12.
Jeff attended college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and the Newman's Hospital School of Nursing, where he graduated with an RN in Nursing in 1985. Jeff continued his education and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA. He continued to constantly challenge himself and obtained many other certifications and taught nurse certification classes later in his career. What classes did he like best in College? That's easy, anything to do with nursing.
Jeff was dedicated to helping others and did so in his spare time while in college and while working at the rest home the years he attended college. He always found time to "help" the residents enjoy life a bit more. He was a relentless watchdog about the welfare of residents.
Who were his friends while growing up? Everybody was his friend. He loved people from young to old, rich to poor, dirty to clean. I don't think he ever met a stranger! Some of his friends growing up were Scott Ward, Alan Ward, Mike Ward, Brenda Bales, Kristy Young, Scott Roy, Stacia Roy, Robin Howard, Sheila Simpson, Sandra Dodge, Shelli Baker, Michelle Gangwere, Kellie Blacker, Jodie Silvey, Teresa Witt, Steven Wunsch, Bryan Taber, Stacy Baruth, Molly Meisenheimer, Janell Kaufman, Shawn Hubbell, Jerry Kinyon, and Tiger Craig, to mention a few.
Jeff was never married and had no children. His primary occupation was nursing. He was also a Technology Systems Operator for Sharp's Hospital for a time as they needed a nurse that knew technology to do some of the programming. He also spent a bit of time working as a nurse evaluator of services for BlueCross/BlueShield. He started his nursing career in 1985 and first worked at Newman's Hospital in Emporia, Kansas, then at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by Sharp's Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, and lastly, at WakeMed Hospital in Cary, North Carolina. He was a staff nurse and worked emergency, trauma, and ICU units most of the time. He was an Interim manger of SICU and Assist Device Program at Sharp's Memorial before moving to WakeMed where he worked as Nurse Manager of Observation Unit, ICU, and Vascular Access Nursing. He also worked for WakeMed as a staff nurse in the ICU and Emergency Unit.
While at WakeMed he designed and equipped the ICU when the new addition was built. He was also an interim manger for the Pharmacy Department and guided them into the era of technology. Jeff had a talent for anything he chose to do.
Jeff was never in the military.
When he reached adulthood he continued the hobbies of coin collecting, volunteer work, and traveling. He continued the love of swimming and biking during adult life. He found cooking to be a very relaxing activity. Cooking for large groups of friends was his idea of fun. He was always making things and taking them to work to share with his staff and co-workers.
Jeff continued to collect coins, volunteer, cook, and travel during adulthood. He was also into swimming, biking, and working out at the gym. He loved to lift weights.
Jeff had belonged to several different organizations and clubs while growing up. He had been involved in volunteer work. He was always available to help anyone in need and many people have credited him as the person that caused them to excel and become successful. He was an organizer of United Way Drives as an adult. His political affiliation was a private matter and changed from time to time. He was more interested in the cause and the qualifications of people than he was in political party affiliation.
Jeff belonged to the Scared Heart Catholic Church, joining while a student at Newman's Nursing School in Emporia, Kansas.
Jeff loved to travel. He visited Mexico, several islands, and many states in the United States of America. He loved to go to the State Capitol of every state he visited. He made several return trips to the state of Hawaii.
Jeff loved animals. He had tropical fish, hamsters, cats, and dogs. The first dog in his life was part of the family before he was born. His name was Happy and he thought Jeff belonged to him. He was very protective of Jeff. He was also welcomed home by a Siamese cat named Socks. His first puppy was a poodle named Prince Pepper. He also had cats named Picks, Butterball, Boots, Tigger, Snowball, Pumpkin, Squirt, Morris, and Tubby. He had two little west highland terriers named Katy and Penny. As an adult he had a cat, a cocker spaniel, and his last pet was a beagle named Alex who is now fourteen years old.
Jeffry passed away at WakeMed Center in Cary, North Carolina. He had had emergency surgery for a perforated intestine (cause unknown), developed peritonitis, and did not recover. This happened in a time period of about one week.
Jeff is survived by his parents Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, uncle and aunt Virgil and Harriet Shellenberger and cousins Mark and Susan Morris and sons Joshua and Zachary, John and Denise Wyrick and son Brian, and Jeff and Amy Larson and daughters Hilary and Abby, plus numerous additional relatives in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Donald Hobert Mason
Grandson of Laura Lorraine Saunders Mason
Grandson of Virgil Roosevelt Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Flora Rose Leffler Shellenberger
Jeffry Lee Mason, RN, BSN, CCRN, 44, died February 7, 2008. He was born in Kingman, KS on September 1, 1963. He graduated valedictorian of his class from Kingman High School, Kingman, KS; attended Emporia State University; received his RN Diploma from Newman Hospital School of Nursing, Emporia, KS; and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA.
Jeff was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emporia, KS.
He was a member of NCONL (North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders), serving on the Board for several years. Jeff also was a member of AACN (American Association of Critical-care Nurses).
Jeff worked at WakeMed Cary Hospital, first as an ICU nurse, then as Nurse Manager of the Observation Unit, ICU and Vascular Access Nursing. Jeff was currently practicing his profession as a part of the Emergency Unit. He was a devoted and caring registered nurse. Jeff was responsible for setting up the ICU units in the building process. He also spent time overseeing the pharmacy in its move to the technological age. Jeff loved to teach and taught classes to nurses to enable them to achieve different levels of certification. He was a "Triple Crown" instructor in ACLS, PALS, and BLS. Jeff combined his extensive knowledge of technology with his medical knowledge to help develop and operate technology systems. He also loved children and animals, dogs in particular, and enjoyed traveling.
Jeff practiced his profession at Newman Memorial Hospital in Emporia, KS; Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, OK; and Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA before moving to WakeMed at Cary, NC.
Jeff is survived by his parents, Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, Kingman, KS; paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, Council Grove, KS; maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, Emporia, KS; two uncles and an aunt; three cousins and their families; numerous family members in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; and his beloved dog, Alex P. Beagle.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr., Emporia, KS.
Mass for the repose of his soul was said at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Kingman, Kansas, and prayers were also said at St. Rose Catholic Church in Council Grove, Kansas.
Two Memorial Celebration Services and Visitations were held to accommodate all of his "WakeMed Family." WakeMed Chaplain Diane Cox presided. The family received friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Jeff's memory to the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603, or Duke Children's Hospital, 512 S. Mangum St., Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701.
Kingman Leader Courier
Jeff's Life Story
Who was Jeff Mason? He was truly a "bigger than life" person! He was very unique because he was very outgoing, energized by people and activities, and action oriented. At the same time, Jeff could also be described as liking one-on-one interaction, preferring some quiet time, and being wise enough to know when he needed to take more time to understand things before taking action.
Jeff was bi-dexterous when it came to using his hands and also in what he did in life as he operated equally well in any given situation. He sometimes made decisions based on feelings, was super sensitive to others, and seemed to know when to avoid conflicts. Jeff seemed to have a way of knowing what needed to be addressed based on facts and logic, when it was necessary to take appropriate action, how to remain objective about situations, and when it was necessary to address conflict.
Multi-tasking seemed easy for him. He could jump into action and plan on the go when needed. He was flexible and free. Yet, he was a master at planning everything out to the last little detail, was always planned ahead, and was always aware of deadlines, dates, and routines. His planning and organizing skills were second to none.
Jeffry Lee Mason was born on Sunday, September 1, 1963, at 4:00 p.m. at the Kingman Memorial Hospital in Kingman, Kansas, to Don L. and Betty Rose Mason. He was an only child.
Jeff had a never ending inquiring mind and was curious about and interested in everyone and everything around him. He was never interested in organized sports as a child but did like to play with his friends. He was a basketball manager during middle school. He enjoyed writing, biking, cooking, swimming, nature, dancing, chess, coin collecting, playing cards, playing chess, reading, writing, and life. He was a Boy Scout. He had a vivid imagination and loved to create "STUFF." The book he wrote (and his mother illustrated) at age seven when he was in second grade titled THE FORGETFUL BUNNY remains a family heirloom. It was a prize winner in school and is truly a wonderful story. He did not like to do art as it was one of the few things he did not excel in, so he had MOM do the pictures of what he wanted in the story. The story probably should be published as it is truly a GREAT children's book.
Jeff was lucky to have two sets of grandparents, two sets of great grand parents and a great, great grandmother when he was born. All of them lived within fifteen miles of each other. While growing up, he loved to spend a few weeks of each summer visiting them. His one set of grandparents lived in town and the other set lived thirteen miles out in the country so he was able to experience many, many different activities. His one set of grandparents were in the mercantile business and the other set were rancher/farmers. He especially liked to go to the gift and clothing markets with one set and loved to help the other set tend the crops and cattle. Great Grandpa Saunders taught his great grandson to love steak at a very young age, and Great Grandma Saunders always started the popcorn popping the minute he arrived.
One of his hobbies was collecting signatures of famous people. He wrote them letters with quilt squares included and ask them to sign in permanent marker. He received back the signed squares from many famous people (Red Skelton, Henry Fonda, Lillian Carter, Barbara Stanwick, Frank Sinatra, Lady Bird Johnson, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Betty Ford, Roy Rogers, Isabel Sanford, Olive Ann Beech, John Rhodes, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Karl Menninger, and George Burns, to name a few.) He was able to get the autographed blocks back from famous people from all walks of life. It was a very amazing project. Jeff was also a coin collector. He continued this hobby even as an adult. Cooking was also a hobby. He started with his Incredible Eatable Oven as a very young child. We will never forget his wonderful GREEN coconut cream pie made from scratch! He could cook anything and as an adult was always making things for his co-workers. His idea of relaxation was to cook a wonderful meal for a houseful of guests.
Jeff had several memorable achievements as a child. He was the spelling bee winner of his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class. He also got excellent ratings at school organized music festivals for playing his cornet. He was the winner of the Summer Reading Program held by the Public library during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th grade. He was excellent at any academic endeavor he choose to undertake as he had taught himself to read by age four!
By the time Jeff reached middle school he was helping paint houses, school buildings inside and out. He also learned how to make building repairs and became very skilled a plaster work. While growing up he was always redecorating the basement.
Jeff was enthused to move on to high school where he was able to participate in a variety of challenging classes. He received awards at music festivals, acted in plays, speech, and was a member of science club. He was awarded many speech and drama awards and received a letter in music. He was on the Forensics Team. Jeff attended Boys State. He was on the A Honor Roll every semester of his high school career and graduate with a 4.0 grade point grade average. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He received the Woolsey Scholarship and the Messenger Scholarship.
He graduated from Kingman High School, located in Kingman, Kansas, in 1981. He enjoyed learning. His favorite classes were math, science, and English. The teachers he most admired while in school were his MOM, and Mrs. Goff during K-5, Mrs. Akins while in 6-8, and his DAD, Joy Kahmeyer, Clark Killion, Ed Craig, and Ernie Wertzburger while in 9-12.
Jeff attended college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and the Newman's Hospital School of Nursing, where he graduated with an RN in Nursing in 1985. Jeff continued his education and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA. He continued to constantly challenge himself and obtained many other certifications and taught nurse certification classes later in his career. What classes did he like best in College? That's easy, anything to do with nursing.
Jeff was dedicated to helping others and did so in his spare time while in college and while working at the rest home the years he attended college. He always found time to "help" the residents enjoy life a bit more. He was a relentless watchdog about the welfare of residents.
Who were his friends while growing up? Everybody was his friend. He loved people from young to old, rich to poor, dirty to clean. I don't think he ever met a stranger! Some of his friends growing up were Scott Ward, Alan Ward, Mike Ward, Brenda Bales, Kristy Young, Scott Roy, Stacia Roy, Robin Howard, Sheila Simpson, Sandra Dodge, Shelli Baker, Michelle Gangwere, Kellie Blacker, Jodie Silvey, Teresa Witt, Steven Wunsch, Bryan Taber, Stacy Baruth, Molly Meisenheimer, Janell Kaufman, Shawn Hubbell, Jerry Kinyon, and Tiger Craig, to mention a few.
Jeff was never married and had no children. His primary occupation was nursing. He was also a Technology Systems Operator for Sharp's Hospital for a time as they needed a nurse that knew technology to do some of the programming. He also spent a bit of time working as a nurse evaluator of services for BlueCross/BlueShield. He started his nursing career in 1985 and first worked at Newman's Hospital in Emporia, Kansas, then at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by Sharp's Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, and lastly, at WakeMed Hospital in Cary, North Carolina. He was a staff nurse and worked emergency, trauma, and ICU units most of the time. He was an Interim manger of SICU and Assist Device Program at Sharp's Memorial before moving to WakeMed where he worked as Nurse Manager of Observation Unit, ICU, and Vascular Access Nursing. He also worked for WakeMed as a staff nurse in the ICU and Emergency Unit.
While at WakeMed he designed and equipped the ICU when the new addition was built. He was also an interim manger for the Pharmacy Department and guided them into the era of technology. Jeff had a talent for anything he chose to do.
Jeff was never in the military.
When he reached adulthood he continued the hobbies of coin collecting, volunteer work, and traveling. He continued the love of swimming and biking during adult life. He found cooking to be a very relaxing activity. Cooking for large groups of friends was his idea of fun. He was always making things and taking them to work to share with his staff and co-workers.
Jeff continued to collect coins, volunteer, cook, and travel during adulthood. He was also into swimming, biking, and working out at the gym. He loved to lift weights.
Jeff had belonged to several different organizations and clubs while growing up. He had been involved in volunteer work. He was always available to help anyone in need and many people have credited him as the person that caused them to excel and become successful. He was an organizer of United Way Drives as an adult. His political affiliation was a private matter and changed from time to time. He was more interested in the cause and the qualifications of people than he was in political party affiliation.
Jeff belonged to the Scared Heart Catholic Church, joining while a student at Newman's Nursing School in Emporia, Kansas.
Jeff loved to travel. He visited Mexico, several islands, and many states in the United States of America. He loved to go to the State Capitol of every state he visited. He made several return trips to the state of Hawaii.
Jeff loved animals. He had tropical fish, hamsters, cats, and dogs. The first dog in his life was part of the family before he was born. His name was Happy and he thought Jeff belonged to him. He was very protective of Jeff. He was also welcomed home by a Siamese cat named Socks. His first puppy was a poodle named Prince Pepper. He also had cats named Picks, Butterball, Boots, Tigger, Snowball, Pumpkin, Squirt, Morris, and Tubby. He had two little west highland terriers named Katy and Penny. As an adult he had a cat, a cocker spaniel, and his last pet was a beagle named Alex who is now fourteen years old.
Jeffry passed away at WakeMed Center in Cary, North Carolina. He had had emergency surgery for a perforated intestine (cause unknown), developed peritonitis, and did not recover. This happened in a time period of about one week.
Jeff is survived by his parents Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, uncle and aunt Virgil and Harriet Shellenberger and cousins Mark and Susan Morris and sons Joshua and Zachary, John and Denise Wyrick and son Brian, and Jeff and Amy Larson and daughters Hilary and Abby, plus numerous additional relatives in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Donald Hobert Mason
Grandson of Laura Lorraine Saunders Mason
Grandson of Virgil Roosevelt Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Flora Rose Leffler Shellenberger
Jeff was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emporia, KS.
He was a member of NCONL (North Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders), serving on the Board for several years. Jeff also was a member of AACN (American Association of Critical-care Nurses).
Jeff worked at WakeMed Cary Hospital, first as an ICU nurse, then as Nurse Manager of the Observation Unit, ICU and Vascular Access Nursing. Jeff was currently practicing his profession as a part of the Emergency Unit. He was a devoted and caring registered nurse. Jeff was responsible for setting up the ICU units in the building process. He also spent time overseeing the pharmacy in its move to the technological age. Jeff loved to teach and taught classes to nurses to enable them to achieve different levels of certification. He was a "Triple Crown" instructor in ACLS, PALS, and BLS. Jeff combined his extensive knowledge of technology with his medical knowledge to help develop and operate technology systems. He also loved children and animals, dogs in particular, and enjoyed traveling.
Jeff practiced his profession at Newman Memorial Hospital in Emporia, KS; Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, OK; and Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA before moving to WakeMed at Cary, NC.
Jeff is survived by his parents, Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, Kingman, KS; paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, Council Grove, KS; maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, Emporia, KS; two uncles and an aunt; three cousins and their families; numerous family members in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; and his beloved dog, Alex P. Beagle.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr., Emporia, KS.
Mass for the repose of his soul was said at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Kingman, Kansas, and prayers were also said at St. Rose Catholic Church in Council Grove, Kansas.
Two Memorial Celebration Services and Visitations were held to accommodate all of his "WakeMed Family." WakeMed Chaplain Diane Cox presided. The family received friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Jeff's memory to the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603, or Duke Children's Hospital, 512 S. Mangum St., Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701.
Kingman Leader Courier
Jeff's Life Story
Who was Jeff Mason? He was truly a "bigger than life" person! He was very unique because he was very outgoing, energized by people and activities, and action oriented. At the same time, Jeff could also be described as liking one-on-one interaction, preferring some quiet time, and being wise enough to know when he needed to take more time to understand things before taking action.
Jeff was bi-dexterous when it came to using his hands and also in what he did in life as he operated equally well in any given situation. He sometimes made decisions based on feelings, was super sensitive to others, and seemed to know when to avoid conflicts. Jeff seemed to have a way of knowing what needed to be addressed based on facts and logic, when it was necessary to take appropriate action, how to remain objective about situations, and when it was necessary to address conflict.
Multi-tasking seemed easy for him. He could jump into action and plan on the go when needed. He was flexible and free. Yet, he was a master at planning everything out to the last little detail, was always planned ahead, and was always aware of deadlines, dates, and routines. His planning and organizing skills were second to none.
Jeffry Lee Mason was born on Sunday, September 1, 1963, at 4:00 p.m. at the Kingman Memorial Hospital in Kingman, Kansas, to Don L. and Betty Rose Mason. He was an only child.
Jeff had a never ending inquiring mind and was curious about and interested in everyone and everything around him. He was never interested in organized sports as a child but did like to play with his friends. He was a basketball manager during middle school. He enjoyed writing, biking, cooking, swimming, nature, dancing, chess, coin collecting, playing cards, playing chess, reading, writing, and life. He was a Boy Scout. He had a vivid imagination and loved to create "STUFF." The book he wrote (and his mother illustrated) at age seven when he was in second grade titled THE FORGETFUL BUNNY remains a family heirloom. It was a prize winner in school and is truly a wonderful story. He did not like to do art as it was one of the few things he did not excel in, so he had MOM do the pictures of what he wanted in the story. The story probably should be published as it is truly a GREAT children's book.
Jeff was lucky to have two sets of grandparents, two sets of great grand parents and a great, great grandmother when he was born. All of them lived within fifteen miles of each other. While growing up, he loved to spend a few weeks of each summer visiting them. His one set of grandparents lived in town and the other set lived thirteen miles out in the country so he was able to experience many, many different activities. His one set of grandparents were in the mercantile business and the other set were rancher/farmers. He especially liked to go to the gift and clothing markets with one set and loved to help the other set tend the crops and cattle. Great Grandpa Saunders taught his great grandson to love steak at a very young age, and Great Grandma Saunders always started the popcorn popping the minute he arrived.
One of his hobbies was collecting signatures of famous people. He wrote them letters with quilt squares included and ask them to sign in permanent marker. He received back the signed squares from many famous people (Red Skelton, Henry Fonda, Lillian Carter, Barbara Stanwick, Frank Sinatra, Lady Bird Johnson, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Betty Ford, Roy Rogers, Isabel Sanford, Olive Ann Beech, John Rhodes, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Karl Menninger, and George Burns, to name a few.) He was able to get the autographed blocks back from famous people from all walks of life. It was a very amazing project. Jeff was also a coin collector. He continued this hobby even as an adult. Cooking was also a hobby. He started with his Incredible Eatable Oven as a very young child. We will never forget his wonderful GREEN coconut cream pie made from scratch! He could cook anything and as an adult was always making things for his co-workers. His idea of relaxation was to cook a wonderful meal for a houseful of guests.
Jeff had several memorable achievements as a child. He was the spelling bee winner of his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class. He also got excellent ratings at school organized music festivals for playing his cornet. He was the winner of the Summer Reading Program held by the Public library during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th grade. He was excellent at any academic endeavor he choose to undertake as he had taught himself to read by age four!
By the time Jeff reached middle school he was helping paint houses, school buildings inside and out. He also learned how to make building repairs and became very skilled a plaster work. While growing up he was always redecorating the basement.
Jeff was enthused to move on to high school where he was able to participate in a variety of challenging classes. He received awards at music festivals, acted in plays, speech, and was a member of science club. He was awarded many speech and drama awards and received a letter in music. He was on the Forensics Team. Jeff attended Boys State. He was on the A Honor Roll every semester of his high school career and graduate with a 4.0 grade point grade average. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He received the Woolsey Scholarship and the Messenger Scholarship.
He graduated from Kingman High School, located in Kingman, Kansas, in 1981. He enjoyed learning. His favorite classes were math, science, and English. The teachers he most admired while in school were his MOM, and Mrs. Goff during K-5, Mrs. Akins while in 6-8, and his DAD, Joy Kahmeyer, Clark Killion, Ed Craig, and Ernie Wertzburger while in 9-12.
Jeff attended college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and the Newman's Hospital School of Nursing, where he graduated with an RN in Nursing in 1985. Jeff continued his education and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSN in nursing from National University, San Diego, CA. He continued to constantly challenge himself and obtained many other certifications and taught nurse certification classes later in his career. What classes did he like best in College? That's easy, anything to do with nursing.
Jeff was dedicated to helping others and did so in his spare time while in college and while working at the rest home the years he attended college. He always found time to "help" the residents enjoy life a bit more. He was a relentless watchdog about the welfare of residents.
Who were his friends while growing up? Everybody was his friend. He loved people from young to old, rich to poor, dirty to clean. I don't think he ever met a stranger! Some of his friends growing up were Scott Ward, Alan Ward, Mike Ward, Brenda Bales, Kristy Young, Scott Roy, Stacia Roy, Robin Howard, Sheila Simpson, Sandra Dodge, Shelli Baker, Michelle Gangwere, Kellie Blacker, Jodie Silvey, Teresa Witt, Steven Wunsch, Bryan Taber, Stacy Baruth, Molly Meisenheimer, Janell Kaufman, Shawn Hubbell, Jerry Kinyon, and Tiger Craig, to mention a few.
Jeff was never married and had no children. His primary occupation was nursing. He was also a Technology Systems Operator for Sharp's Hospital for a time as they needed a nurse that knew technology to do some of the programming. He also spent a bit of time working as a nurse evaluator of services for BlueCross/BlueShield. He started his nursing career in 1985 and first worked at Newman's Hospital in Emporia, Kansas, then at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by Sharp's Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, and lastly, at WakeMed Hospital in Cary, North Carolina. He was a staff nurse and worked emergency, trauma, and ICU units most of the time. He was an Interim manger of SICU and Assist Device Program at Sharp's Memorial before moving to WakeMed where he worked as Nurse Manager of Observation Unit, ICU, and Vascular Access Nursing. He also worked for WakeMed as a staff nurse in the ICU and Emergency Unit.
While at WakeMed he designed and equipped the ICU when the new addition was built. He was also an interim manger for the Pharmacy Department and guided them into the era of technology. Jeff had a talent for anything he chose to do.
Jeff was never in the military.
When he reached adulthood he continued the hobbies of coin collecting, volunteer work, and traveling. He continued the love of swimming and biking during adult life. He found cooking to be a very relaxing activity. Cooking for large groups of friends was his idea of fun. He was always making things and taking them to work to share with his staff and co-workers.
Jeff continued to collect coins, volunteer, cook, and travel during adulthood. He was also into swimming, biking, and working out at the gym. He loved to lift weights.
Jeff had belonged to several different organizations and clubs while growing up. He had been involved in volunteer work. He was always available to help anyone in need and many people have credited him as the person that caused them to excel and become successful. He was an organizer of United Way Drives as an adult. His political affiliation was a private matter and changed from time to time. He was more interested in the cause and the qualifications of people than he was in political party affiliation.
Jeff belonged to the Scared Heart Catholic Church, joining while a student at Newman's Nursing School in Emporia, Kansas.
Jeff loved to travel. He visited Mexico, several islands, and many states in the United States of America. He loved to go to the State Capitol of every state he visited. He made several return trips to the state of Hawaii.
Jeff loved animals. He had tropical fish, hamsters, cats, and dogs. The first dog in his life was part of the family before he was born. His name was Happy and he thought Jeff belonged to him. He was very protective of Jeff. He was also welcomed home by a Siamese cat named Socks. His first puppy was a poodle named Prince Pepper. He also had cats named Picks, Butterball, Boots, Tigger, Snowball, Pumpkin, Squirt, Morris, and Tubby. He had two little west highland terriers named Katy and Penny. As an adult he had a cat, a cocker spaniel, and his last pet was a beagle named Alex who is now fourteen years old.
Jeffry passed away at WakeMed Center in Cary, North Carolina. He had had emergency surgery for a perforated intestine (cause unknown), developed peritonitis, and did not recover. This happened in a time period of about one week.
Jeff is survived by his parents Don L. and Betty Rose Mason, paternal grandparents Don and Lorraine Mason, maternal grandmother Rose Shellenberger, uncle and aunt Virgil and Harriet Shellenberger and cousins Mark and Susan Morris and sons Joshua and Zachary, John and Denise Wyrick and son Brian, and Jeff and Amy Larson and daughters Hilary and Abby, plus numerous additional relatives in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Virgil Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Donald Hobert Mason
Grandson of Laura Lorraine Saunders Mason
Grandson of Virgil Roosevelt Shellenberger Sr.
Grandson of Flora Rose Leffler Shellenberger
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CARETAKER OF MANKIND AND PET LOVER.
