Lysle C. Mason

© Enid News and Eagle

02-28-2007

Submitted by: Jo Aguirre

Lysle C. “Prof” Mason was called home to be with the Lord his God on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 in Denver, CO.

Lysle was born Oct. 24, 1917 in Mont Ida, KS, and graduated from high school in Elk City, KS. He matriculated at Kansas State Teachers College, receiving a B.S. in mathematics.

On Jan. 25, 1938, he married Kathryn Clingan in Girard, KS. After college, he taught high school math for four years, obtaining his masters degree from the University of Michigan during the summers of those years. Lysle, Kathryn and 10-month old Tamara Annette moved to Enid in 1942, where he began his tenure as professor of mathematics at Phillips University, later becoming head of the department. He spent 40 years of his life motivating, inspiring, and teaching students. His passion for mathematics, along with his mastery of the subject, were well known and highly respected. His prodigious reputation led to teaching experiences in India, as well as from coast to coast in the United States.

He had a two-year hiatus from Phillips while serving as a communications officer in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, Lysle obtained his doctorate in mathematics from Oklahoma State University, but would never approve of being called “Dr.” Mason, settling for the more humble “Prof.” His family continued to grow with the births of Sheryl Janette in 1947, Marsha Kay in 1950, and Yvonne Denise in 1956.

From the time of their arrival in Enid, Lysle and the Mason family were stalwarts of University Place Christian Church, where he served as deacon, elder, treasurer, chairman of the board, and teacher of the Christian Century Sunday school class for nearly 50 years. In addition to all of his teaching, he often preached at area churches and served as the first minister of Woodlands Christian Church in Ponca City, OK in 1956.

As if all his activities with school, church and raising four daughters were not enough, he refereed several football games a week (college, high school, and junior high) until he was 70 years old, whereupon he was inducted into the Oklahoma Officials Association Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. He also spent decades refereeing basketball in the “off-season.” Lysle loved to read and was a master of crossword puzzles and cryptograms. After his retirement from Phillips in 1982, he lived happily in Enid until Kathryn’s death in 1988.

In 1990, he married Susanne Mansell and moved to Denver, CO, where he immediately became active in the Central Christian Church there. Of this marriage, Rebecca Elizabeth was born in 1991 and is now a high school freshman in Denver.

Lysle was preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Grace; his wife Kathryn; two sons-in-law, James Patrick Benson and Gary Ray Gibson; and his brothers, Howard and Norman.

He is survived by his wife, Susie and daughter Rebecca of the home; daughter, Tamara Gibson; daughter and son-in-law Yvonne and Rick Little; 18 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; innumerable friends and admiring former students, dozens of whom have stayed in contact with Lysle from as far back as the ’40s.

Burial will be held March 2, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park Cemetery in Enid, followed by a memorial service at Central Christian Church at 11. Officiating will be Rev. Jack Divine of Lansing, KS, one of those special former students; he will be assisted by Rev. John McLemore of Enid. Arrange-ments are under the direction of Henninger-Allen Funeral Home, where visitation will be held form 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday evening.

Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.enidwe care.com.

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