Timothy Peter Mason was born on February 14, 1950, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and died at home on September 12, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following a courageous struggle with cancer. He was predeceased by his mother, Mertrice (Herfindahl) Mason; his father, John Mason II; and his brother, John Mason III. He is survived by his husband, Leo Geter; sister Solveig (Mason) Kjeseth; brother Daniel Mason and his wife Caroline Mason; and many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was very much loved by each one. Tim got his start as a playwright in Minneapolis penning numerous plays for the Children's Theatre Company, which led to Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) tapping him to write the book and lyrics for the musical adaptation of "The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" in 1980. Its success led to the musical adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for the Children's Theatre Company, and subsequently for the Old Globe in San Diego. That production made its way to Broadway in 2006 and 2007 and has toured nationally ever since. In addition, Tim was grateful to have many adult plays produced by Circle Repertory Company in New York, including "Levitation," "Only You," "Babylon Gardens," and "The Fiery Furnace" (starring Julie Harris). He was proud to be commissioned by San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater's Young Conservatory to write six plays: "Ascension Day," "The Less Than Human Club," "Time on Fire," "Mullen's Alley," "My Life in the Silents," and "The Life to Come." Other prestigious companies to produce his work include South Coast Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Seattle Rep, Victory Gardens, the Jungle Theater, and the Royal National Theatre in London. In the last decade, Tim turned his considerable talent to writing novels. His book for middle grade readers, "The Last Synapsid" (Random House), is a fantasy adventure set in a Colorado mountain town, and his two critically acclaimed Victorian thrillers, "The Darwin Affair" and "The Nightingale Affair" (Algonquin Books), imagine Charles Dickens' Bleak House detective, Charles Field, tracking down villains who threaten social progress with acts of violence. Tim loved travel, history, classical music, and art. His natural gift for bringing characters and worlds to life was matched by the compassion he showed to all who knew him. A memorial service in Tim's honor will be held at 1:00 pm, Monday, October 16, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. Memorial contributions may be sent in Tim's name to Camp Knutson, a camp for children with disabilities and medical needs at 11148 Manhattan Point Blvd., Crosslake, MN 56442 or online at campknutson.org, and to Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish, his home church in NYC, which serves over 300 meals a day, at 602 East 9th St., New York, NY 10009.

Published on October 8, 2023