John Dana Masters1,2
M, b. 29 January 1924, d. 3 April 2016
| Father | Carl Luther Zinssmeister1 b. 25 Jul 1890, d. 12 Mar 1982 |
| Mother | Emily Cecile Bradford1 b. c 1898 |
John Dana Masters, son of Carl Luther Zinssmeister and Emily Cecile Bradford, was born on 29 January 1924 at Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia.2,1
John died His obituary reads as follows:
John died His obituary reads as follows:
BURLINGTON, Vt. - John Dana Masters , 92, of Burlington, Vt. a remarkable father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died peacefully on Apr. 3, among family - his favorite place to be.
Born in Charleston, W.Va. on Jan. 29, 1924, the son of Carl and Cecily Masters , he received his BA in Economics from Cornell University in 1945.
A WWII Navy pilot, his service as Lieutenant JG included one stint flying seaplanes off the assembly line as the last bolts were tightened.
After the war, he joined Cornell Aeronautical, predecessor of CALSPAN, as senior project operations manager, working first in Buffalo, N.Y. and then at Edwards Air Force Base in California on then-cutting-edge avionics technology projects.
Next, John was vice president of Birdair Structures of Buffalo, N.Y. for 22 years before professional advancement through acquisition took him to Bennington, Vt. and Amherst, N.H. In retirement, he built a house in Peterborough, before moving to Burlington, Vt. to be near family.
During his 51-year residence in East Aurora, N.Y. John was involved fully in town affairs, notably as head of the school board and as a key player in expansion of one of the early Boys (and later Girls) Clubs.
His wife of 62 years Virginia Donaldson Scattergood of East Aurora, N.Y. and brother Bradford C. Masters of Buffalo, N.Y. predeceased John .
Father of Jeffrey (Lucy) Masters of Medfield, Mass., Peter (Susan) Masters of Hancock; Betsey (Charles) Krumholz of Burlington, Vt., and Tyler (Karen) Masters of Bristol, Vt. John loved having his whole family, previously farther afield, in New England.
He was grandfather to Loring, Charles, Grace (James Weliver), Sam, Cory, and Kelsey Masters ; Alan Jeffrey and Molly Krumholz and Caroline Krumholz Linehan (Sean). Predeceased by grandson Henry Loring Masters in 2009, John proudly welcomed great-grandson Henry Dana Linehan in 2014.
A quiet man with a strong presence, John 's true religion was the Golden Rule. "It is rare to meet a person who carries the ability to challenge his world with so much grace," writes granddaughter Molly. "I will carry with me your righteous anger toward injustice and your level-headed patience for understanding a solution." How he would have loved to know the outcome of this year's election.
John 's family is grateful for the warm community he found in his five years at The Residence at Shelburne Bay, for its front porch where he rocked many a warm morning, and for the special friendships he formed there with Joan McCooey and many others.
A celebration of John 's life will be held in Burlington, Vt. in June.
Living independently until the end, John compensated so well that many were unaware that he was virtually blind with macular degeneration. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired are graciously accepted (60 Kimball Avenue, South Burlington, Vt. 05403).
on 3 April 2016 at Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont, at age 92 years, 2 months and 5 days.2Born in Charleston, W.Va. on Jan. 29, 1924, the son of Carl and Cecily Masters , he received his BA in Economics from Cornell University in 1945.
A WWII Navy pilot, his service as Lieutenant JG included one stint flying seaplanes off the assembly line as the last bolts were tightened.
After the war, he joined Cornell Aeronautical, predecessor of CALSPAN, as senior project operations manager, working first in Buffalo, N.Y. and then at Edwards Air Force Base in California on then-cutting-edge avionics technology projects.
Next, John was vice president of Birdair Structures of Buffalo, N.Y. for 22 years before professional advancement through acquisition took him to Bennington, Vt. and Amherst, N.H. In retirement, he built a house in Peterborough, before moving to Burlington, Vt. to be near family.
During his 51-year residence in East Aurora, N.Y. John was involved fully in town affairs, notably as head of the school board and as a key player in expansion of one of the early Boys (and later Girls) Clubs.
His wife of 62 years Virginia Donaldson Scattergood of East Aurora, N.Y. and brother Bradford C. Masters of Buffalo, N.Y. predeceased John .
Father of Jeffrey (Lucy) Masters of Medfield, Mass., Peter (Susan) Masters of Hancock; Betsey (Charles) Krumholz of Burlington, Vt., and Tyler (Karen) Masters of Bristol, Vt. John loved having his whole family, previously farther afield, in New England.
He was grandfather to Loring, Charles, Grace (James Weliver), Sam, Cory, and Kelsey Masters ; Alan Jeffrey and Molly Krumholz and Caroline Krumholz Linehan (Sean). Predeceased by grandson Henry Loring Masters in 2009, John proudly welcomed great-grandson Henry Dana Linehan in 2014.
A quiet man with a strong presence, John 's true religion was the Golden Rule. "It is rare to meet a person who carries the ability to challenge his world with so much grace," writes granddaughter Molly. "I will carry with me your righteous anger toward injustice and your level-headed patience for understanding a solution." How he would have loved to know the outcome of this year's election.
John 's family is grateful for the warm community he found in his five years at The Residence at Shelburne Bay, for its front porch where he rocked many a warm morning, and for the special friendships he formed there with Joan McCooey and many others.
A celebration of John 's life will be held in Burlington, Vt. in June.
Living independently until the end, John compensated so well that many were unaware that he was virtually blind with macular degeneration. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired are graciously accepted (60 Kimball Avenue, South Burlington, Vt. 05403).
Citations
- [S1621] 1930 Westchester County, New York Federal Population Schedule, Carl L. Masters Haushalt, Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, New York, Rolle 1661, SD 20, ED 60-193, Seite 3796/169, Bogen Nr. 16 A, Linie 10, Wohnung Nr 312, Familien Nr. 341.
- [S2810] Newsbank, online, John Dana Masters; published in the Monadnock Ledger Transcript (Peterborough, NH) on 12 April 2016; Section: News; Page: 10.
Last Edited=15 Apr 2022