Roberta "Bobbie" Joyce (Hecox) Mason

Roberta “Bobbie” Joyce (Hecox) Mason

Roberta “Bobbie” Joyce (Hecox) Mason, 82, of Sutton, Alaska passed away peacefully on May 24 with her daughter by her side. Bobbie was born on February 13, 1940, in Phoenix, Arizona to Robert and Vivian (Scott) Francisco. Her dad was killed as an American soldier in WWII, and she was raised under the loving care of her mother and step-father, Orville Hecox. Bobbie spent much of her childhood between Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arizona. Bobbie attended Fort Hayes State College, becoming the first college graduate in her family in secondary education and home economics.

Bobbie met her husband John in 1960 when her sister forgot to pick her up after her shift at a diner and John, a customer, started flirting with her; it was love at first sight. After their marriage, Bobbie was a home economics and English teacher in Pawnee Rock H.S. and then Elkhart H.S. in Kansas. In 1968, John and Bobbie would move to Anchorage, then Sutton, Alaska, where Bobbie would live for 52 years. Bobbie was the 4-H Agent for the University of Alaska in Palmer and treasured her work with young people around the Mat-Su Borough. Bobbie could often be seen on the sidelines of a 4-H event, with a Pepsi in her hand, encouraging baton twirlers, young farmers, or any 4-H member who needed her help. Bobbie had a special passion for helping with the annual Coal Miners Ball in Sutton where she was named to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband, and love of her life, John Mason, as well as her sisters, Ozella Prather, Emma Penn, and Andrea Hecox. She is survived by her four children, Micheal Mason and his partner Nancy Conklin of Alexander Creek, Melanie Teemant and her husband Mike of Henderson, Nevada, Mitch Mason and his husband Bjorn Swenson of Portland, Maine, and Marla Mason of Sutton, Alaska. Bobbie also leaves behind six grandchildren; Mihkel Teemant of Henderson, NV, Marie Teemant, of Tucson, AZ, Dustin Mason, of Columbia, South Carolina, Mason O’Kiernan of Syracuse, NY, Megan (Corey) Arling of Albuquerque, NM, and Matt (Noelle) Teemant of Clarksville, TN. Bobbie is also survived by eight beautiful great grandchildren. She also leaves behind her beloved basset hound Newton.

Please join us for a celebration of life for Bobbie at 3pm on Friday, July 22, 2022 at the Sutton Bible Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Coal Miners Ball or the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue.