Mason Francis Snowden's Obituary
Mason Snowden, born August 30, 1925 in Huntington, Texas, passed on Thursday, November 1 surrounded by family. Dede had a strong work ethic stemming from when he chopped cotton and picked peanuts at only 7 years old, a trait he passed on to his extended family. At 15, he left home by freight train to “see the wild blue yonder”. But, after deciding that he didn’t like to be dirty and that he wanted guaranteed food and a cot to sleep in, he joined the military. A proud veteran, he joined the Navy during WWII at 17 years old. In New Guinea, he was on a landing barge that blew up and he clung to a life preserver for hours before he was rescued. After the war, he then had a 20+ year career in the Army. He was also an active Freemason in Pentagon Lodge # 1080, a member of the Scottish Rite and a Shriner. In 1944, he married his high school sweetheart, Lena Pride, and they were married for 73 years. They traveled the world with their two children, Kay and George, before finally settling down in Mesquite to welcome 6 grandchildren & 9 great-grandchildren. If it was broken, our Dede could fix it. If it had a seed, our Dede could grow it. We will all treasure time spent watching classic Westerns with him and stopping at M[a]cDonald’s for a cup of coffee. We fondly remember big family dinners at Meme and Dede’s house. We each remember picking the perfect squash and okra that our Dede grew just for us in his garden (and then letting Meme fry it). We remember playing kickball for hours in his backyard (first base was the tree but don’t kick it into that garden!), as well as dominoes, checkers and backgammon. We all watched Dede working in his shop: creating, fixing and tinkering. Nothing was ever spicy enough for Dede: just add Cholula with Chili Lime or a lot of jalapeños. We gather to pass these stories onto our own children, some of whom were old enough to create their own memories with Meme and Dede. We’re glad that Dede finally gets to return to the love of his life and give Meme kisses from all of us. Dede is survived by his son George and his daughter-in-law Marcia, 6 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren: Shana Bennett and her husband Brad and daughter Morgan; Stacey Blackshear and her husband Paul and children Madeleine and John David McComb and Dean and Emily Blackshear; Becca Compton and her husband Brad and children Austin and Cooper; Amanda Snowden and her husband Marcos Lopez and their children Lucas and Sofia; Alex Snowden and wife Nancy Snowden; Allison Snowden. He is preceded in death by his parents, George Washington Snowden and Rosa Jane (Purdy), daughter, Kay Jones and his brothers Nathan Snowden and BB Snowden. Visitation will be held on November 4, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Restland Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held on November 5, 2018 at 9:30 AM in the Abbey Chapel at Restland Funeral Home.
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