Mildred Belle Mason's Obituary
Mildred B. MasonMarch 31, 1930 to November 25,2017 Mildred Belle Mason (87), the third of George and Bartee Venturella’s six children, was born on her family’s farm on March 31, 1930 in Chickasha, Oklahoma and died in her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 25, 2017. Mildred was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 50 years Willard W. Mason, in 1997, a daughter Teresa Booth in 1982 and a daughter The Honorable Twyla Mason Gray in 2011. She is survived by her son, Brian W. Mason of Plano, Texas and his wife Janet, son-in-law Charles Gray of Oklahoma City, grandchildren, William Mason of Prosper, Texas and his wife Anne, Sarah Teague of Broken Arrow and her husband Bryan, Jennifer Weyand of Dallas, Texas and her husband Ben, Lauren Mason of Plano, Texas and a great grandchild Grayson Teague of Broken Arrow. She is also survived by her three younger siblings, Pam Price of Anaheim, California, Betty Ecker of Scottsdale, Arizona and George Venturella of Gardnerville, Nevada, along with many nieces and nephews. Mildred, Aunt Mil or Mimi, as she was known to family, grew up on a farm outside of Chickasha, Oklahoma with her five brothers and sisters and graduated in a class of 12 students from Broxton High School in 1947. The previous year, she had met a dashing World War II veteran, Willard Mason, from nearby Apache, Oklahoma, and on July 4th, 1947 they were married in Long Beach, California where many of their family had settled following the Oklahoma dust bowl. The following year they moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma where her husband enrolled in what was then Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State University. In November of 1949 they had their first child, Teresa while still in school. Then in 1951, after completing an under graduate degree, they moved to Tulsa and in October of 1954 they had their second child, Twyla. In June of 1959 they had a son, Brian. In 1973, Mildred and Willard moved to Phoenix, Arizona then returned once and for all to Tulsa in 1977 where they lived until their deaths. Having been born just before World War II, Mildred stayed old school. Her passions in life were her relationship with the Lord, her support of her husband, and the care of her children and grandchildren. She was a consummate homemaker who never went to bed with dirty dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor. She volunteered at her kid’s school, worked at the polls during local elections and participated in every possible way at her Church. Mildred helped her husband build his business, BMC Advertising, that became a national leader in media for Ministries and Political Campaigns. Her children have had careers as diverse as Ministry, State Legislator, Judge, Publishing and Theaters. She and her husband were amongst the founding families at what was then, Sheridan Assembly of God, which later became Sheridan Christian Center. From this church came such notable ministries as Rhema Bible Training Center, Victory Christian Center and many others. No one ever went hungry at Mildred’s house. She was well known to friends and neighbors for whipping up a prime rib roast, southern fried chicken or a chocolate sheet cake on short notice. She was always the first to volunteer to take care of kids or food when a friend or neighbor had an emergency or death in the family. ServicesA viewing will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 on Wednesday, November 29th at Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 South 129th East Avenue, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Services will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at Floral Haven’s Chapel at 3:00, followed by a short graveside service. DonationsIn lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Bright Pink,org, a charity focused on education and proactive prevention for young women at risk for breast cancer.
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