Martha Dinwiddie Mason

Martha Dinwiddie Mason passed away peacefully on May 17, 2026 after a two-month battle with metastatic cancer. Martha was born in Charlottesville, VA, to Joseph Gray Dinwiddie, Jr., and Rozelle Eckford Dinwiddie and grew up in Clemson, SC, where she later earned an undergraduate degree in French and a varsity letter in Fencing. This, and an adventurous spirit, led her across the ocean to study abroad in Dijon, France. From her Tiger roots, she eventually turned to the light of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks -- she was especially proud to cheer on the Lady G's to three national championships. More importantly, it was there she met her husband Fordyce Harwood Mason III, completed her Master of Arts in French and Master of Library Science, and spent her career in the USC library system.

Martha was a devoted parent alongside her husband Ford. She was equally comfortable sewing elaborate Halloween costumes and churning out baked goods as with helping with Science Fair projects and proofreading term papers. As her children grew to adults, she worked to stay connected with them at each new stage of their lives, including sending snail mail and visiting them across the globe.

Faith was a huge part of Martha's life, with a lifetime of service to Eastminster Presbyterian Church - teaching Sunday School, ringing in the handbell choir and serving as both a deacon and an elder. She carried that spirit far outside the walls of the church, traveling on mission trips to New Orleans and Peru, and closer to home participating in the footcare mission, and helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity.

In her neighborhood community, she was a founding member of the Earlewood Community Citizens Organization, serving as its first president. These initial efforts led to countless potlucks, block parties and a community garden, but most importantly, lifelong friends.

Martha felt at home by the water and in the hills. For more than seventy years, Wrightsville Beach, NC, was a yearly gathering place for extended family and friends, and she treasured the mountains from Montreat to the Shenandoah. However, her love for the natural world extended beyond just recreation -- she also worked to protect it long before it was fashionable. She started the recycling program at her church, and spearheaded a similar effort at Thomas Cooper Library. When the City of Columbia wouldn't recycle something, she would try to find a way -- more than once hauling a station wagon full of cardboard to the recycling center herself. She started a backyard composting effort decades ago, which also provided a nice wildlife viewing opportunity when the backyard raccoons and possums stopped by to look for veggie scraps.

Professionally, Martha built her career as a university librarian. She rose to the head of the cataloging department at USC’s Thomas Cooper where she oversaw the digitization of records, a project that included adding barcodes to the library's 4 million volumes. Ever the trailblazer, Martha was able to work remotely over a 2400 baud modem in the early 1990s. She thoroughly enjoyed discussing these innovations at regional and national American Library Association meetings. Even in retirement, she couldn't resist being surrounded by books, spending a lot of time volunteering at the South Caroliniana Library. Lastly, she built lifelong friends there, continuing to attend parties and lunches with them for many years after retirement.

Martha was an avid reader, always having a book nearby. Music was another one of her great joys. She played the piano and the mountain dulcimer, and even up through her final weeks, loved to sing.

After Ford passed away, she returned to Charlottesville, VA, to live with her beloved grandchildren (Jenn and Ben were there too). She was a patient and loving grandma, always happy to read a book to them, share in an art activity or card game, cheer them on in their new skills, and delight in who they were. Over the last six years of her life, Martha found joy, connection, and community at RoseWood Village Greenbrier, and for some time was fortunate enough to live down the hall from her Uncle Ed. She was a member of the book club, was always working a crossword puzzle, continued to be a lifelong learner, and made dear friends with the staff and other residents alike. She loved being so close to family, including Jenn’s in-laws, regularly sharing meals together, family vacations, and weekly Friday morning walks with Jenn.

Martha was a joy to be around, and always had a positive outlook and words of encouragement for others. As we learn to live life without her, we will try to slow down long enough to notice the little glimmers in life, and remember her with fondness when we see a striking sunset. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Gray and Rozelle Dinwiddie, her husband, Ford Mason, and her childhood dog, Sniffy, and cats, Katrina and Phoebe. She is survived by her son, Jonathan Mason of Oakland, CA; her daughter, Jennifer Lobo and her husband Ben and their children Grayson and Emma of Charlottesville, VA; her brother Steve Dinwiddie and his wife, Lesley; her brother George Dinwiddie and his wife, Gail; her sister, Susan Small, and her husband, Bill; many nieces and nephews; and other extended family members (“cousins by the dozens”).

A celebration of life will be held at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 3200 Trenholm Rd, Columbia, SC 29204, on October 3, 2026 at 11:00 am. In the spirit of community support that defined Martha's life, her family invites those who wish to honor her to make a donation to Stepping Stone Charlottesville (750 Harris Street, Ste. 102A, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903; https://www.steppingstonecville.org/donate).

An online guestbook is available at www.compassionatecremationva.com

Compassionate Cremation Services of Ruckersville, VA is handling the arrangements.