Mittie Crum Cook Mason, age 89, died at home, surrounded by her family, on April 5, 2014. A native of Wilcox County, Alabama, Mittie was the youngest child of Abe Crum Cook and Lallie Bragg Cook. She grew up in the Rock West/Possum Bend community outside of Camden. After graduating from Wilcox County High School, she went to Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, where she received a degree in 1947.

Her teaching career began when she took a temporary teaching job in Pine Hill, where she met Harry Austin Mason and plans changed. They married in 1949, and she left teaching to raise three children, but returned to the classroom in 1971.

For hundreds of students she was known fondly as “Miss Mittie.” She taught first grade, but her interest in her students didn’t stop at simply giving them a good start. She remained a friend and mentor, always encouraging them to set high standards, to continue their education and to join her in her life-long endeavor to make Wilcox County a better place to live. Even in retirement, Mittie continued her practice of helping students excel by connecting them with scholarships and encouraging them to go to college. She was awarded the Simpson Foundation’s Palmer Prize in 1998 for her lifetime commitment to education in the Wilcox County.

Students were second only to her love for her grandchildren and great grandchildren and her many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Mittie was a member of the Pine Hill United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School for more than 45 years. She was active in many community projects including the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Wilcox County Historical Society and renovating the old Pine Hill Depot.

She is survived by her husband of 64 years and their three children: Harry Edward Mason (Doris) of Livingston, Thomas Cook Mason of Mobile and Mittie Felicia Mason of Birmingham. She is also survived by two grandchildren: Eddie Mason (Stephanie) and Staci Mason Rogers (Aduston), and four great-grandchildren: Jackson Mason, Bryce Mason, Lallie Rogers and McPherson Rogers. She is also survived by her loving caregivers Patricia Klug and Sarah Brackett.

Funeral services will be at the Pine Hill United Methodist Church on Monday, April 7 at 3 p.m. The family will receive visitors at the church beginning at 2 p.m. Rev. Dawn Bond will officiate. Her great nephews will serve as pallbearers. Burial will be in the Pine Hill Cemetery immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the United Methodist Children’s Home, 3140 Zelda Court, Montgomery, AL 36106, or to the scholarship program of your choice.

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