Billy Lee Mason's Obituary
Billy Lee Mason, 88, of Lewes, DE, passed away at home during the night of Sept 15, 2022, of natural causes just 12 days shy of his 89th birthday. He was born on September 27, 1933, in Westphalia Michigan, the only child of the late Roy and Tressa (Zemola) Mason.
Mr. Mason had two careers in photojournalism. On October 9, 1952, he joined the Navy and retired on October 21, 1971, as a Chief Petty Officer. During his career in the Navy, he worked for the Chief of Naval Operations under Adm. Thomas Moorer and Adm. Elmo Zumwalt. He worked for the Secretary of Navy at the Pentagon under Paul Ignatious, John Chaffee, and John Warner. He also worked for the Under Secretary of the Navy and was afforded the opportunity to travel abroad to Europe and Asia. Mr. Mason’s most memorable experience was as the photographer for Adm. Bakutis in Antarctica at the South Pole, where he completed two 6-month tours of duty with Operation Deep Freeze, prior to April 1967. His Naval career started in San Diego, CA where he was transferred to Hawaii and was stationed at the Naval Air Station Barbers Point, from 1958-1962. Mr. Mason helped put together 110 copies of a film, "Victory at Sea". He worked with cameras in aircraft to create aerial mapping.
From Hawaii, Mr. Mason transferred to Pensacola, FL, where he taught photography, including underwater photography.
He then moved to Syracuse, NY, where he was chosen as one of fifteen to take a one-year course in photojournalism at Syracuse University.
Mr. Mason was then stationed at the Photographic Center in the Naval Air Station in Maryland, where he ran the shooting crew. He worked with both Speedgraphic and 33 mm film.
After retiring from the Navy, he was asked to return to a similar job as a Civil Servant from April 1972 - March 1974.
This two-year stint led Mr. Mason to a new position with US Customs, where he was working as a photojournalist at Constitution and 14th in Washington DC, from March 1974 - January 1998. He had various duties that included passport photos, portraits, trade shows, photo exhibits, and drug seizures (both during and post) on boats, planes , helicopters, etc. Mr. Mason was invited to attend two Olympic events - Lake Placid Winter Olympics and in Atlanta, GA dealing with counterfeit products. He was exposed to many colorful individuals during both his careers including Presidents, actors, musicians, and military personnel and loved to share his history with others.
Mr. Mason and his late wife, Tena M. Mason (2016) , moved to Rehoboth Beach post retirement, where he enjoyed the beach life and metal detecting. He was made famous by discovering an unexploded ordinance on Bethany beach, which closed the beach until it was removed.
Mr. Mason is survived by his daughter, Kim L. Mason and her wife, Sandra Humphrey of Lewes; and his son, Kip Mason of Ashburn VA.
Interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the SPCA, 22918 DuPont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
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