Gale V. Mason; Businessman
Gale V. Mason, a longtime Santa Paula businessman and civic leader, has died of cancer at age 81.
Mason died Tuesday in Santa Paula Memorial Hospital after battling the illness for several months, friends said.
Mason was a longtime businessman in Santa Paula. He was a manger at the J.C. Penney store until 1960, when he and his wife, June, purchased the Campus Shop. The couple later operated a store in the city called Youngland until their retirement in 1975.
The following year, Mason was named Santa Paula Citizen of the Year. He belonged to a number of civic organizations and helped found a community fund in the late 1970s that was used to pay for civic projects, said Floyd Hair, a family friend.
“We called him Mr. Volunteer because he was always busy at something,” Hair said.
Mason is survived by his wife, a son and several grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Santa Paula First Presbyterian Church. Arrangements are being handled by Pierce Brothers Stetler Mortuary in Santa Paula.
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