By Leia Larsen
Standard-Examiner
LAYTON, Utah — As hundreds turned out to honor departed paramedic Tyson Mason, those closest to him recalled a man devoted to both his career helping others and to his young family.
Mason, of Plain City, died the morning of Jan. 22 while driving home on Highway 40 from a Life Flight shift at the Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt. Mason also worked as a firefighter in Salt Lake City and had previously served as a firefighter for Ogden City.
A motorcade delivered Mason’s remains to a memorial service held at Davis Conference Center on Saturday afternoon, which overflowed with friends, family and emergency responders.
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Mason leaves behind his wife of two years, Haileigh Mason, and their week-old son, Lukas.
“I know of all of Tyson’s accomplishments, titles and certifications, the one he cherished most was that of ‘father,’” said Rick Black, fire captain for Salt Lake City. “He left this world oh-too-soon, but I know this: He left happy, content and complete.”
Life Flight Executive Director Pam Moore remembered Mason as a man who wanted to learn how to do everything in emergency response. She also called him mischievous, playful, goofy and joyful as a a co-worker.
“He loved the work. He had a great passion for it,” Moore said.
As a close friend and former co-worker at Ogden City Fire, Zac Winkler called Mason a “brother.”
“We went through divorces, heartaches, house moves, loss of friends, too many late nights howling at the moon and too many mornings regretting what we did the night before,” Winkler said.
Winkler made special emphasis of how Mason’s life changed after meeting his wife, Haileigh. He said the only time he saw Mason happier than his wedding day was after the birth of their son.
“It was perfect and seemed like a dream,” Winkler said. “But there’s one thing we all learn pretty quickly. Real life is nasty. Sometimes bad things happen. People die and fights are lost. It seems it only happens to the best of us, and he was the best.”
The last text message Winkler received from Mason, he said, read “Whatever you say, man. I’ll jump off a cliff if you ask me too.” Winkler said he shared the same sentiment, and vowed to watch over Mason’s family in return.
“You’re not in this alone,” Winkler said. “Rest easy, brother, we’ll take it from here.”
Hendrik Alberts, a co-worker on Life Flight, recalled Mason as a new flight paramedic saving a woman’s life on the same stretch of road that would one day take his life.
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“He was most renowned for showing empathy and compassion to his patients, family and bystanders, which is such a big part of our job,” Alberts said.
Alberts also recalled paramedics returning Mason’s belongings from the vehicle to his father following the accident. Included were two books, one titled “Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad!”
“I love this. I think it portrays Tyson’s personality perfectly. Always planning and preparing to do something to the absolute best of his abilities,” Alberts said, then addressed Mason’s infant son. “Luke, you’ll never know your dad in person, but he was a legend.”
Haileigh Mason also gave a brief address, remembering the day she met her husband and the instant connection she felt. She also shared the story of his marriage proposal that came after surprising her with a staged pull-over for a sobriety test.
The happiest day of their entire lives, however, was the day their son was born on Jan. 15, exactly one week before Mason died, she said.
She thanked the memorial’s attendees for their outpouring of support, which she called “tremendous.”
“It shows that we’re not alone in this devastating time and that the spirit of Tyson will live on in all of us forever,” she said. “We just know Tyson is loving all this attention.”
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