Nona B. Mask

Nona B. Mask was born on April 10th, 1938 to John Henry Burnette and Mollie Huffman in Marion, North Carolina. She grew up in North Carolina, graduating from Marion High School there and then going on to Mars Hill University near Mars Hill, NC. After getting her Associates in Liberal Arts, Nona attended Wake Forest University for Nursing School and received her certification as a Registered Nurse. After attending Nursing School, Nona decided to join the Armed Forces as a nurse in the United States Air Force. During her time in the Air Force she met and married Blair Finlay who was in the service as well. The two would bring into the world a baby girl named Charlene, which caused her short time in the service to end with an Honorable Discharge. A few years after the birth of their daughter, the two would be blessed with a second child. This time a boy they would name Robert. Nona would not only work hard at being a loving mother and military wife but also hold a career outside of the home. She continued being a nurse after she left the Air Force, going on to serve in several different compacities until she retired at the age of 72. While married to Blair, the two would move, and live all over the United States. They lived in such places as Omaha, Nebraska, Washington DC, Sacramento, California, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Barksdale, Louisiana, before retiring to the Salem area and would plant down roots. Nona and Blair would divorce in 1985 but they would remain good friends until his passing. After her divorce and during a trip back to North Carolina for a High School Reunion, she ran into Edward James Mask Jr. who was a high school sweetheart. Even though time and distance kept them apart for many years, romance was rekindled that day. He would join her in Oregon and the two were married soon after. They moved back to North Carolina to be closer to their families that still lived there. Shortly after Edward passed away from Colon Cancer. She worked for a short time at Hot Springs Health Program in North Carolina as a Hospice Nurse, before moving to Tuscan, Arizona. When she moved to Arizona she started working for Odyssey healthcare as again as a Hospice Nurse. Nona’s nurturing and caring nature was a perfect fit for such emotionally rewarding work being with those at end of life. After experiencing the loss of her son Robert, Nona would leave Arizona and move to San Antonio, Texas to be near her daughter. She would stay near Charlene the rest of her life, making one final move back to Oregon when she moved to Salem. Nona was a natural social butterfly. She made friends easily and was always warm and welcoming to anyone she met. Even if she disagreed with someone, she still showed them the dignity and respect that they deserved as an individual. Because of this she made and maintained many lasting friendships. In the early years she would go on trips with her husband on his private plane often planning family trips around it. In her spare time, she loved to be outdoors. She enjoyed skiing whether it was on freshly packed snow in the winter or water skiing on a warm summer day. She was also part of a “self-named” hiking and camping group called the “Mountain Mamas” who would often explore what nature had to offer. They even made t-shirts to show off their pride. On November 8th, 2018 Nona passed away in Salem, Oregon. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mollie and her son, Robert. She is survived by her daughter Charlene and the many people whose lives she touched and made better through her lifetime of service to others and the community in which she lived. She will be missed.