Lee Mason Jr., 79, church pastor and civil rights marcher

AS A boy growing up in Virginia, Lee Mason had a vision: He saw himself ringing the bells atop the Baptist Church that he attended.

Lee got to ring the bells, all right, then went on to ring many bells throughout a long life as a Baptist preacher in Philadelphia.

He was also a longtime warrior in the civil-rights movement in the days of the 1960s when to march in certain communities of the South was to risk life and limb.

Lee Mason Jr., who marched arm-in-arm with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and other legendary civil-rights leaders, a preacher whose lusty baritone could belt out a gospel song to stir the heart, an Army veteran and devoted family man, died Saturday of prostate cancer. He was 79 and lived in Roslyn, Montgomery County.

Lee was the founding pastor of the New Joy Baptist Church in Philadelphia and pastor for more than 40 years of the Northeast Baptist Church in Frankford.

He was born in Pocahontas, Va., to Lee and Martha Mason. He attended the Pocahontas public schools where he was an outstanding athlete, playing football, baseball and other sports.

It was in Pocahontas that he started his spiritual journey at the First Baptist Church, where he was baptized, sang in the choir and ushered - and rang the church bells.

He often said how much he loved to hear his mother sing the old hymns.

At 17, Lee enlisted in the Army. He won a marksman medal and saw combat in Korea. He was discharged in 1955.

He then moved to Philadelphia, where he joined Resurrection Baptist Church and served as a deacon.

Lee worked for the Sussman Automotive Group, eventually becoming manager of the detailing shop. While there, he studied at the Philadelphia College of Bible at night and in 1957, became a Baptist minister.

He married Eunice Deborah Johnson on Sept. 7, 1958.

In 1961, Lee became pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church and proceeded to build up the membership. In 1966, he founded New Joy Baptist and with the help of a small congregation was able to purchase a building, furnish it and invest in an organ and piano.

In 1974, Lee became pastor of the Northeast Baptist, where he remained. The congregation grew to more than 300 people, and he ordained many ministers, including the Rev. Louise Williams Bishop, a state legislator and hostess of a religious program on WURD (900-AM).

He loved to sing the old gospel songs, like "It Is Well With My Soul":

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll.

Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

With his association with King and Jackson, he became friends with a number of prominent civil-rights leaders and preachers, among them the Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles, who was on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., when King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Lee created a bit of controversy when he joined other Philadelphia ministers in supporting Frank Rizzo for mayor in 1972, but also was a strong supporter of W. Wilson Goode as the city's first black mayor in 1984.

"He talked the talk and walked the walk, often traveling across the country on his own dime to be there for his congregants, whether it was to preside over a wedding or a funeral," his family said.

"An infinitely kind, generous, funny and passionate man, Lee Mason Jr. served God with every breath."

Besides his wife, he is survived by six sons, Aaron Joshua Mason, Nathaniel Luke Mason, Jonathan Andrew Mason Sr., Shawn Salley, Michael Young and Jason Scott; a daughter, Martha Butler; 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Services: Celebration of life 11 a.m. tomorrow at Northeast Baptist Church, 4744 Tackawanna St. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church.