Elwood C. Mason

Elwood C. Mason Jr., 72, of Marathon, passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2013 under the care of Aspirus Hospice House, Wausau. He was born June 30, 1940 in Wausau to the late Elwood Sr. and Germaine (Knoeck) Mason. He married Caroline Lepak on January 23, 1965. Elwood worked as a deputy for the Marathon County Sheriff's Department for 27 years. For 15 of those years he was a Lieutenant in the Investigation Division. In September, 1975, he graduated the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. He was also Director of the County Police Officers Association and served as a Sergeant in the National Guard. For 29 years Elwood and Caroline owned Corner Mart Convenience Stores in Marathon and Edgar. He enjoyed meeting his customers and could be found in both stores daily socializing and drinking coffee with the community. He was also a member of the Marathon School Board for 12 years. He also enjoyed hunting and boating with family, friends and his constant companion, Shadow, at the family farm in Pepin. Survivors include his wife Caroline, his daughter Linda (Jeffrey) Schield of San Antonio, TX, and son Elwood (Lisa Henriksen) Mason III of Mequon, WI, three grandchildren; Morgan Schield, Anders Mason and Elsa Mason, sister JoAnn (Bob) Bohse of Woodbury, MN, and brother David (Cindy) Mason of Marathon. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at St. Mary Catholic Church, Marathon. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Diermeier will preside. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Friends may call on Wednesday from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, Marathon and again on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until time of services at the church. The family wishes to convey their appreciation to the Aspirus Hospice House in Wausau and the staff at Saint Clare's Hospital, Weston. Their care and compassion were extraordinary. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family to be donated to fund lung cancer research or to Aspirus Hospice House.