Dordana Fairman Mason

MASON, FAIRMAN, STOFFEL, KEPROS, CRETI

Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 9/21/2015 at 11:21:44

Dordana Fairman Mason was born June 28, 1922 in Los Angeles, the daughter of Daniel Beach Fairman and Dorothy Anderson Fairman. Dorothy and Dan combined their names to give what was to be their only child her name. For years she had to explain her odd name to her teachers and friends. Her father was a millinery salesman and her mother trimmed hats. It was impossible to make a living selling hats in sunny California, so her parents moved back to Kansas City, Mo., where Dan began a successful wholesale millinery business including 30 retail stores. For several years they operated a factory that produced Dordana hats, but the depression and a fire destroyed that dream.
Dordana grew up during the depression in Kansas City and was taught to “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Since both of her parents worked, she helped at home doing most of the grocery shopping, some cooking, and saving every penny. She credited her good health to her good diet. Every day began with a tsp of cod liver oil and a fresh squeezed glass of orange juice.
She graduated from high school at age 16 with National Honor Society membership and believed in completing her education before marriage. She wanted to be a doctor, but her parents thought she should choose a more practical career for a woman. She compromised and pursued a career in dietetics. She was awarded a Danforth Scholarship at Ia State for her activities and high grades. She earned a BS degree and was initiated into Mortar Board, Omicron Nu, and Phi Upsilon Omicron. She chose to take her dietetic internship at the U. of Iowa, where she earned her MS degree in 1944 and met her future husband Edward E. Mason (a third year medical student) while canoeing on the Iowa River and studying in the library. Instead of becoming a doctor, she married a doctor and had 4 children and convinced her only daughter to become a doctor. Her husband pioneered gastric bypass surgery for the morbidly obese.
Many of the young men that went away to fight in WWII never came back. Both brothers Nile and Ben Kinnick were killed. Ben’s wife was a roommate of Dordana at Iowa State. She saw Dordana again at the dedication of the Nile Kinnick Statue and remodeled football stadium at the U. of Iowa in 2004.
Dr. Kate Daum was her mentor for her master’s thesis on Vitamin C. After graduation she worked at the Oakdale TB Sanitarium as head dietitian until Ed graduated from Medical School. She followed her husband to the U. of Minnesota where he did his internship, residency, and PhD in surgery with Dr. Wangensteen. She became pregnant and the U. of Minnesota would not hire a pregnant dietitian, so she worked in an artificial rubber production lab in the University Chemistry department. Soon she followed her husband to Leavenworth, Kansas where he began his military service in the Navy during the war. After the war the family returned to the University of Minnesota, and finally to the University of Iowa where her husband began his career as a professor of surgery. She was blessed with 4 healthy children, 3 sons and 1 daughter and she devoted her life to being a mother and homemaker for many years.

In 1960 Dr. Margaret Olson, director of the Nutritional Department at the University of Iowa, asked Dordana to return to teach student nurses about special diets. Teaching was difficult after being home for 15 years as a mother, but she studied each evening and was successful. Dordana developed a Continuing Education Class for Dietitians called “Diet Therapy USA.” She organized two conferences a year for 20 years. Dordana also worked on a diet manual for the University Hospital called “Recent Advances in Therapeutic Diets.” She worked at the University of Iowa Psychopathic hospital counseling patients with anorexia nervosa, while her husband worked with obesity patients. Her most famous patient to whom she gave dietary counseling was Roy Carver who donated millions of dollars to the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

After retirement, she volunteered at the First Presbyterian Church as the church librarian, an Elder, President of the Women’s Association, representative for Church Women United, and in charge of all the women’s luncheons for 20 years. For 5 years she was in charge of Free Lunch for the homeless. She was a PEO member of Chapter KZ, a member of Pi Phi, Mortar Board and Kate Daum alumni. She was an expert in astrology and helped counsel anyone interested in their horoscopes.

She was married for 71 years and had 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. She loved her family and sacrificed so she could give them what she didn’t have growing up in the depression. Her family stayed healthy, because she knew the right foods to cook, and how to make the meals taste good. She was an avid reader, reading almost every book in the Carnegie library – one book every night. She had an exceptional life and was grateful for every single day. She was a woman of great faith, intelligence, grace, compassion, and determination. On 9/17/2015 she passed away from cancer and heart disease at the age of 93 in her home.

Those remaining to cherish her memory include her husband and the love of her life Dr. Edward E. Mason, three sons Daniel Mason and wife Marilyn Stoffel of Sleeman, Ontario, Canada, Richard Mason and Diane Kepros of Marion, Iowa, Charles Mason of Iowa City and Faye Mason of Swisher, and one daughter Dr. RoseMary Mason and husband Dr. David Marc Tan Creti of Denison, Iowa. Nine grandchildren: Russell, Leonard, Matthew, Luke, John, Erica, Sandra, Cody and Jozlyn. Twelve great grandchildren: Leonah, Jalyn, Orion, Lourdes, Britton, Hawke, Tyler, Bailey, Tanner, Jonah, Landen and Nathan.

Memorial gifts will be given to the First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City or the Iowa City Public Library Foundation. Memorials may be sent to PO Box 167, Iowa City, IA 52240 in care of Dordana Mason.

Dordana requested no funeral. Her cremated remains will be combined with Ed’s at the time of his death, since they always did everything together.
Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
 

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