Educator and Coach
Joseph A. Mason, born Joseph A. Masionis at 225 L Street in South Boston, passed away on Monday, October 12, 2026, at the age of 88. Joe was proud of where he came from: his Southie roots, his Lithuanian heritage, and the community that shaped him. He graduated from South Boston High as a three-letter varsity athlete and went on to earn his Master’s in Education from Boston University.
In 1963, he met Arline Daly at the Rathskeller in Boston. He invited her to watch him play baseball the very next day, and that was the start of everything. They married, moved to her hometown of Winthrop, and raised four children (Karen, Kim, J. and Michael) together. Joe spent his career as a gym and health teacher in the Boston school system, eventually becoming head coach of the Dorchester High Bears — leading them to three Super Bowls and winning one in 1989.
Saying Joe loved sports doesn’t quite cover it. He lived and breathed them — football especially. He was a die-hard fan of every local team and sometimes took their losses as personally as his own. One of his favorite moments was seeing something he never thought would happen: the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in 2014.
But as much as he loved sports, his family was everything. His kids remember climbing onto his back all at once and having him carry them up the stairs like it was nothing. And they remember how he carried them in the other way too — going to work every single day for nearly 40 years, no matter what, so they didn’t have to feel the weight he shouldered.
That devotion only grew with the arrival of his grandchildren, Emily and Russell Nichols. Their theater performances, their games, their milestones — he was there for all of it, cheering louder than anyone.
Winthrop became his second hometown. He coached Little League, joined the Elks, frequented the Golf Club, and made so many connections that people around town started calling him “Papa,” even though he was only grandfather to two.
Joe loved a good cigar, a good story, and a good old whiskey sour.
He was predeceased by his parents, Joseph J. and Magdelen R. (Raskauskas) Mason; his sisters, Margaret Cappellano and Judith McCain; his brother, David Mason; his beloved wife, Arline and his son, Michael. He is survived by his daughters, Karen Mason and Kimberly Nichols; his son, J. Mason; his granddaughter, Emily Nichols and her partner, Aidan Conlon and his grandson, Russell Nichols. He also leaves behind his companion of many years, Lorraine Polo, as well as in-laws, nieces, nephews, and countless friends.
The funeral was conducted from the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 followed by a funeral mass in St. John the Evangelist Church (St. Michael’s Parish). Services concluded with the interment in the Belle Isle section of Winthrop Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The 11 Foundation: In Memory of Michael Mason, c/o 319 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop, MA 02152. Joe proudly served as the Foundation’s Chairman Emeritus since its establishment in 2011.
To sign the online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.