Dwight Mason's long journey home to Russell

 Many thanks to Frank Meyers- Lucascountyan blog

The trip from place of death to grave has been, as a rule, relatively straightforward for a majority of those buried in Lucas County's cemeteries. But 90 years ago this month, nearly a month and several phases were needed to return Dwight Mason's remains from his place of death in a remote area of Alaska to their final resting place in the Russell Cemetery.

The young man's death was reported as follows in The Russell Union-Tribune of Jan. 7, 1932, under the headline, "Dwight Mason Fatally Injured in Alaska."

Residents of this community were deeply grieved last Thursday morning to learn of the tragic death of Dwight D. Mason, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Mason, of near Russell, which occurred the previous day at Kanakanak, Alaska.

Dwight, who was employed by the United States government in the schools at Kanakanak, was assisting in repairing an airplane which had crashed near his school early in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 30th. The plane was mounted on a tripod, when one of the steel supports fell and struck Dwight  on the head, causing a hemorrhage which resulted in his death about 11 o'clock that night.

Dwight was well known in this community, as he received his high school education of the Russell schools, graduating with the class of 1924. Following his graduation he attended Parsons College, at Fairfield, Iowa, and later taught in the rural schools of Lucas county. For the past three and a half years he had been teaching in the schools of Alaska. At the time of his death he was teaching the sixth, seventh and eighth grades and was manual training instructor in the Kanakanak schools. He was 29 years and 1 month at the time of the fatal accident.

Dwight spent a month or so during the summer of 1930 here with his parents and friends, and his pictures and tales of the far north country were of great interest to homefolks. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, having his membership with the Russell Order.

Due to weather conditions in Alaska, the first lap of the homeword journey of the remains was made by airplane. The plane bearing the body left Kanakanak Friday morning and arrived at Anchorage, Alaska, Sunday, where the journey was delayed to await certain restrictions before the trek could be resumed. From Anchorage to Seward, the body will be conveyed by rail, and thence by water to Seattle, Wash. Seward is located on the south coast of Kenai Peninsula. The remains are expected to arrive here about the 20th of this month for burial. The Masonic Lodge is keeping relatives here in touch with the progress of the corpse on its homeward journey.

Dwight is  survived by his parents and four brothers, Clifford, of near Chariton;   Paul, of Crystal Lake, Minn.; Kenneth,  of Chicago; and Warren at home.

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It took nearly a month for the remains to reach home, where funeral services were held at the Russell Methodist Church on Jan. 25. His obituary appeared in The Union-Tribune of Jan. 28:

The body of Dwight D. Mason, a Russell young man who was fatally injured on December 30, 1931, at Kanakanak, Alaska, where he was teaching in the government schools, arrived here Sunday night.

Largely attended funeral services were held from the Russell Methodist Church on Monday afternoon, Jan. 25, at 2:30 o'clock, conducted by Rev. J. E. Clark, who preached an impressive sermon. A male quartet, composed of Homer Jeffries, Claude Bower, Herbert Boyd and Earl Roberts sang "My Eternal Home," "No Night There," a favorite hymn of the deceased, and "Nearer My God To Thee." Mrs. Ira D. Johnston accompanied at the piano.

Pall bearers were Dave Wright, Herbert Ewald, Ted Smith, Vogel Smith, Lee Cottingham and Richard Werts.

Floral tributes, in abundance, bore testimony of the high esteem in which the deceased was held in this community and in Alaska, where he made many friends during his sojourn there.

Interment was made in the Russell cemetery, with the Masonic Lodge, of which he was a member, conducting the services at the grave.

The following obituary was read at the services:

Dwight Davis Mason, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. V. Mason, was born November 20, 1902, near Melrose.

With his parents, he moved to the present home near Russell in the spring of 1920. He attended the Russell school and graduated with the class of 1924. He was converted at a Union meeting held in Russell by Rev. Loose, and united with the Methodist Church on February 5, 1922.

After his graduation he attended Parsons College at Fairfield, Iowa and later taught in the rural schools of Lucas county. In the autumn of 1928 he went to Alaska, and since that time he had taught in the government Indian schools, being engaged in teaching at Kanakanak, where he met with the accident which caused his death on December 30, 1931, at the age of 29 years and one month.

He is survived by his parents and four brothers: Clifford, of near Chariton, Iowa; Paul, of Chrystal Lake, Minn.; Kenneth, of Chicago, Ill.; and Warren, at home; also a number of other relatives and many friends.

Word comes from the faculty of the school in Kanakanak, also the government employer, expressing the high esteem in which he was held and it would not be easy to find one who could fill his place.

Thanks to Doris Christensen and Find a Grave for the tombstone images used here.