TOMAR MASON

1911 ~ 2010

Tomar Mason died peacefully in her Los Banos home, with her husband Bill nearby, on Nov. 8 at the age of 99.

Tomar was born in Reedley, CA, in 1911, the daughter of Almas Arsenian and Krikor Apkarian. She attended Reedley High School, where as a student she designed the school mascot, a swashbuckling pirate, which Reedley High still displays today. She then worked in the Watts area for the Los Angeles School District.

She served as a member of the Women's Army Air Corps during World War II and later married Major William H. Mason of the U.S. Army at the San Francisco Presidio in 1948. Tomar and Bill are the parents of two children, Tomar (Timi) Mason and William F. (Bill) Mason.

For 24 years Tomar lived the life of an army wife, traveling and rearing her children in New York City; Frankfurt, Germany; Washington, D.C.; Los Banos, CA; Richmond, VA; Yokohama, Japan; Camp Zana, Japan; Cherry Hill, N.J.; and Seoul, Korea.

In 1973, after she and Bill divorced, Tomar moved to Los Banos, where her sister Rosemond Duran still lives, and created a new life for herself. At the age of 63, she started college at the Los Banos Campus of Merced College and then earned her A.A. degree. She transferred to CSU Stanislaus, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English, a second bachelor's degree in art, and a master's degree in fine arts (combining art and English) in 1989, at the age of 78.

On Oct. 2, 2005, on the same date as their first marriage in 1948, she married Bill (now a retired colonel) for a second time. Presiding at the marriage was their daughter, Judge Tomar Mason of San Francisco.

Tomar worked as a volunteer in the CSU Stanislaus art gallery and served on the Advisory Committee at the Los Banos Campus of Merced College, where she also taught classes in flower arranging and ikebana, displaying the skills she learned in the Kofu School of Ikebana.

Tomar was an active member of St. Alban's Parish, the American Association of University Women, Ikebana International, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Los Banos Golden Agers, the Los Banos Arts Council, and the YWCA of Richmond, VA, of which she was a member for 50 years.

Tomar was a loving mother and grandmother, a devoted friend, and a talented and prolific artist and writer, who continued to write in her 100th year of life.

Tomar is survived by her husband Bill; her children Tomar Mason and William F. Mason; and her grandchildren Nicholas, Katie, and Kelly.

A celebration of Tomar's life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Whitehurst Funeral Chapel, 16524 Center Ave. in Los Banos. By her request, her ashes will scattered at a later date.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the YWCA of Richmond, VA, 6 N. Fifth St., Richmond, VA 23219; the Merced College Foundation, Los Banos Campus Fund, c/o Dean Brenda Latham, 22240 Highway 152, Los Banos, CA 93635; or Ikebana International, 1653 Skycrest Dr., #14, Walnut Creek, CA 94595.