Robert Ernest Mass

Robert Ernest Mass died peacefully at his home in Lincoln City, OR on June 18, 2015 from complications of long-standing lymphoma. He was eighty-eight years old and enjoyed a long, active, and fulfilling life. A third generation Oregonian, "Bob" was born to Ernest Mass, Jr. and Erma (Keen) Mass in Oregon City on October 18, 1926. Like many, the Mass family suffered considerable hardship during the Great Depression. Bob spent most of his youth on the Keen family farm in Brownsville, thanks to the generosity of his relatives. Following high school he joined the Army Air Corps, serving briefly in World War II, before continuing his education at the University of Oregon and the University of Oregon School of Medicine where he received his medical degree in 1951. He was elected to membership in both Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. His formative years were greatly influenced by FDR's important social initiatives, and his indebtedness to and gratitude for these programs would shape a life of ardent and active progressive politics. Following an internship at Minneapolis General Hospital, Bob returned to Portland to complete his medical training in Experimental Medicine before eventually joining the faculty at Oregon Health and Science University. He was a Professor of Medicine and, for nearly thirty years, served as the Head of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The combination of direct patient care to veterans, clinical research into cancer and blood disorders, and teaching and mentoring a generation of medical students, residents, and fellows added up to a rich and rewarding career. After formal retirement in 1986, he moved to Lincoln City where he resided for the remainder of his life. He remained active in medicine, spending several years overseas as the Cancer Center Director at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and later as an elected Director of the North Lincoln County Health District. In addition to these contributions to medicine during retirement, he was active in Democratic politics, enjoyed remodeling and expanding his beachfront home, and was an inveterate world traveler. His final trip, a cruise from Florida to Costa Rica transiting the Panama Canal, was completed in March 2015. Bob was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothea (Kerns) Mass known as "Dot", who died in 1991, and his second wife, Charmian (Whitney) Mass, who died in 2013. He is survived by 3 children; Kristine L. Desmond (Jim Desmond, Scott's Valley, CA), Robert D. Mass, MD (Sheila Merritt, Mill Valley, CA), and Michele K. Mass, MD (Jim Edwards MD, Portland, OR) and 3 grandchildren; Sarah, Patrick, and Ian. At his request, no services are planned. Donations in his memory may be made to the OHSU School of Medicine Scholarship Fund or Samaritan Health Services Hospice Program in Lincoln City.

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Robert Ernest Mass

October 18, 1926 - June 18, 2015