VA VA - Richard Irving Mason, 80, Alexandria, 1995

ammwd

New Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
5
Reaction score
10
  • #1
This is not a standard missing person case and I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong forum. This is my grandfather who abandoned the family in the 1960's. He allegedly changed his name several times. Finding more information about him (past 1967) has been nearly impossible. I had heard about you amazing people here on Websleuths and thought I'd see if anyone was interested in helping me figure this out. I want to find out whether or not he's still living. All the information I have I found through my own online research. None of my family members know anything more about him.

Richard Irving Mason (my grandfather) was born Nov 30, 1938, allegedly in "Dunbarton, Canada" to Norma Frances Clatterbuck (father unknown).

He was raised in his mother's parents' (Eddie A. and Annie L. Clatterbuck) house in Staunton, VA. He attended Turner Ashby High School in Harrisonburg, VA.

He completed recruit training for the Navy at Bainbridge, MD in 1957 when he was 18. He was a barber in the Navy, serving aboard the U.S.S. Galveston.

He married my grandmother, Carolyn, on June 11, 1960. They had my dad in 1961 and my aunt in 1962. They separated in 1963. He filed for divorce in 1965 and it was finalized Jan 19, 1967. On the divorce record, it says he was working as a Milkman for Alexandria Dairy. His address was listed as 210 S Abingdon St, Arlington, VA.

I managed to find his half-sister, who told me he had "disowned the family" and allegedly had families with other women, all while changing his name. She knew him as "Dicky". She said the last time she saw him was in Alexandria around 1995. She emailed me a bunch of old photos of him she found in a suitcase that her mother (Norma) had kept in the attic. He was tall and thin and has a large freckle or mole above his left eyebrow.

This has been a mystery for decades and I've hit a wall with my research. I'm desperate to find out what happened to him. I really hope someone can help. There may be small details that I forgot to mention, so if you have questions, please ask. Thank you!
 

Attachments

  • Richard I Mason Navy.JPG
    Richard I Mason Navy.JPG
    44.5 KB · Views: 5
  • #2
You might try searching the Social Security Death Index, using the information you have on him.

You could also check with the Veterans Affairs Office to see if they might have a file on him. He might have applied for Veterans benefits at some point, or possibly entered a VA hospital.

His ship, the USS Galveston was a new Cruiser at the time he served on her. There is an association of former crew members. Here is their website address:

USS Galveston Shipmates Assoc. - Home
 
  • #3
Thanks! I've already tried the Social Security Death Index and the USS Galveston Shipmates Assoc. I hadn't tried checking with the Veterans Affairs Office. I also managed to get some of his military records but because I don't have a confirmed social security number for him and I don't know if he's still living or not, I only got what records weren't redacted.
 
  • #4
Bumping this thread up. The title is misleading as he would have been 57 in 1995, not 80 years old. Today he would be 85 today.

Any luck on this search?
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
66
Guests online
3,372
Total visitors
3,438

Forum statistics

Threads
632,700
Messages
18,630,683
Members
243,262
Latest member
timothee.flowers
Back
Top