Harriet Mason was a faithful servant of Christ for her entire life. She served as a missionary in Japan for 13 years, and was affiliated with The Navigators, an international, interdenominational Christian ministry, for most of her adult life.

She is survived by her two children, Aurelia Flores (Virginia) and Ken Mason (Oregon), and six grandchildren (Angelo Cisneros, Drew Barnard, Evan Barnard, Cash Mason, Nayeli Roch and Ina Mason). She also has dear family in Minnesota, Texas and Colorado.

Harriet was born in a small town in southwestern Minnesota on April 16, 1930 and grew up in Balaton, Minnesota, where her father was the town pharmacist. She loved horses and enjoyed riding. She worked at the main street soda fountain as a teen and enjoyed tagging along behind (and bothering) her older brother, Warren Tenhoff.

She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and went on to obtain a nursing degree from Swedish Nursing School - a division of the Swedish Institute - and also attended bible college after obtaining her nursing degree which led her to a life of ministry.

Harriet was an optimistic adventurer and followed in her father’s footsteps (her father immigrated to the U.S. as a child). After college, she went to the west coast, where she lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and later Los Angeles, working as a nurse and continuing preparation for becoming a missionary.

She married Daryl Mason and they moved to Japan in 1962. She and her husband served as missionaries to American servicemen as well as Japanese nationals while she lived in various locations, eventually ending up in Sendai (just north of Tokyo). She fell in love with Japanese culture, language and people - and continued that interest throughout her life. Although she’s the first to admit - with a laugh - that her Japanese language skills devolved to being mediocre (pera pera) later in life, she did enjoy listening and practicing Japanese.

She and Daryl adopted first a baby girl (in 1971) and later a baby boy (in 1974). The family returned to the U.S. to reside permanently in 1975 and settled in Colorado Springs, the location of international Navigators headquarters.

Harriet worked as a nurse, from the mid 1970’s through the mid 1990’s in Colorado in various hospital and care settings. She ended her career after working for 8 years as a hospice nurse. She found this work deeply meaningful and also of spiritual impact. Harriet’s life of service, both as a missionary and as a nurse, was an important theme for her.

She moved to San Diego and in with her daughter in the early 2000’s, and later in the mid-2000’s moved to Portland to live with her son and his family. She was active in the Japanese (JIBC) and Lutheran churches in Portland.

Harriet made friends wherever she went - including on airplanes! - and was amazing at keeping in touch with people for decades (including those she met on planes). She was outgoing, social and engaging throughout the years and kept a good sense of humor even at the end - reminding us that if she forgot what she or we said, it just meant she’d have the joy of hearing or saying it again!

She loved to read and especially enjoyed authors such as C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald.

Harriet passed peacefully onto heaven on January 4, 2025 at the age of 94. Her deeply kind spirit and joyful presence will be deeply missed - but we are certain the angels, as well as her family and friends that passed before her, are rejoicing with her in Heaven.

In lieu of flowers or any gifts, if a sympathy gift is desired, we’re sure Harriet would appreciate donations to the Japanese International Baptist Church in Tigard, OR. 

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