Lawrence E. (Larry) Mason
Lawrence E. (Larry) Mason, left us, October 4, 2023, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s, which, although slowing him down, never took away his wit, humor, or his sweet personality. He remained a man who never forgot a song he had learned, often belting it out in a rich baritone. He loved reciting the Night Before Christmas for his grandchildren on Christmas Eve, and kept up his raves at the TV, when he disagreed with the moderator.
Larry was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 8, 1935, the youngest of four brothers, and the son of Joseph and Hazel Mason. He was supposed to be called Rosemary, except for one obvious fact. He was a Larry! After graduating from Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, he attended Purdue University, and graduated with a degree in Engineering in 1957, and then entered the Air Force, where he was stationed at a Sac AFB, now known as Grissom AFB. Along the way, he reconnected with Donna, who he had met and double dated with in high school. They married in 1959, and lived, loved, and traveled, together for 64 years. Two of his proudest achievements, with a little help from Donna, were his two daughters, Beth and Laurie.
After leaving the air force, Larry worked with Honeywell in Minneapolis until a move to Santa Barbara in 1966, where he had a long career with General Motors, under its various guises. During that time, he spent many hours working at sea, participating in the development of positioning systems for deep water drilling vessels, which included the Glomar Challenger, which, with the Mohole Project, helped establish the continental drift theory, as well as another, clandestine venture, to raise a sunken Russian nuclear submarine. There were many other sea faring projects and during these ventures, he also found the time to get a Masters degree in Engineering at UCSB. But, his real love was writing, and he leaves behind many stories for his family to read, savor, and remain in touch with him, as though he just stepped out of the room. Larry was an avid reader, and loved to garden, travel, hike in the mountains, and grudgingly, even bike ride, one of Donna’s favorites.
Larry leaves behind his love, Donna, as well as his daughters, Beth, her husband Urs Heller, of Port Jefferson, New York, children, Clara and Xander, and Laurie, her husband, Shane Zheng, of Santa Barbara, and children, Kai and his wife, Hayley, and Hailey, Kai’s sister. Larry dearly loved his family and was deeply loved in return. He is sorely missed!
No memorial is planned but any remembrances can be directed to the Parkinson’s Association of Santa Barbara.