Cora L.

Mason

Memoir of Our Matriarch Matriarch: A dignified mother who is head and ruler of her family and descendants.

Cora Mason was born to James Ash and Lillie Ash (Thompson) on November 18, 1925, in Sumter County Alabama. Shortly thereafter the family relocated to Kemper County Mississippi, where she began public school and later attended school in Noxubee County, Mississippi. Cora's love for family is rooted in her early years when, as an only child living in a rural area, she often wished for the companionship of other children. She knew early on that she wanted to raise a family of children.

Cora joined the Green Chapel Baptist church in Kemper County at an early age. She remained a faithful Christian throughout her life in both word and action. Cora was clothed with dignity as a wife and a mother.  She and Edgar Mason fell in love and joined together in holy matrimony in 1949.They moved to Gadsden, Alabama and joined the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in 1951.  Since then, she has been a committed and loyal member, even after moving to Washington, DC in 2017 in her declining years.

She would say her proudest accomplishments are the God -fearing, decent, and caring children she raised. However she is  "Madear" not only to her children and grandchildren, but also to many more relatives, and friends she encountered. Known for her Christian values, wisdom, love, and straight talk, a many peoplehave  benefited from knowing her. She was matriarch to a large family of God's children.

Cora stood for right and was willing to pay the price for her beliefs. She protested racial injustice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and was arrested for doing so. She actively supported organizing a union at one of her workplaces and was dismissed as a result.  She had the courage to do all she could to make this world a better place, always looking to God for guidance.

She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Lillie Ash; husband, Edgar Mason; daughter, Queen Esther McIntosh; son, Willie T. Mason; grandsons, Steven Kyle and Brandon Mason; mother-in-law, Katie Mason Cook; and brother-in-law, Rev. John H. Mason.

She leaves to cherish her precious memories her beloved children: Eva Robinson, Deerfield Beach, Florida; Ollie Mason, Ringold, Georgia; Doris Martin, Washington, DC;  Marcus (Linda) Mason, Sr., Gadsden, Alabama; Elbert Mason (Ann), Upper Marlboro, Maryland;  grandchildren: Robert Kyle; Angela Luker; Demarquise (Lisa) Mason; Arzia Mason; Rashauna Mason; Charles (Jamilla) Mason; Willie Mason, Keisha Mason; DeChandriss Page-Nsougan; Marcus (Dana) Mason Jr.; and Latoya Mason; beloved aunt: Maggie Hudson, Baltimore, Maryland.  She leaves a host of great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, cousins, and dear friends.