Bobby and Pam Mason Celebrate 50 Years of Marriage

 The Celebration was held December 4, 2022, at Faith Temple.

  (Photo 1) Mr. Bobby Mason and Mrs. Pamela Mason are pictured at their wedding on Dec. 9, 1972. (Photo 2) Pam and Bobby are pictured as they dance on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, as Ms. Mary Sloan sings a song she wrote for them -- pictured at the Faith Temple Fellowship Hall, Taylors, SC. (Photo 3) Pam and Bobby are shown with their sons (along with their sons' wives) and grandchildren. (Photo 3) Pam and Bobby's pastor, the Rev. Donnie O'Shields and his wife, Dana, are pictured. (Photo 4) Shown are Bobby's mother (center) with his sister, Joyce, and his brother, Larry.

Below are photos of Mrs. Pam Mason's family: (Photo 1) Pam is shown with her three sisters. Pam is the oldest and played the piano for "The Burrell Sisters" singing group. (Photo 2) The Burrell Sisters are shown as they grew older. (Photo 3) The sisters' beloved parents are pictured.

  “This is a ‘once upon a time’ story of a lifetime,” says Mrs. Pam Mason, who is married to Mr. Bobby Mason. “God knew that one day there would be an ‘us’ and we would be ‘better together.’ On our napkins for this day, Dec. 4, 2022, is printed ‘Better Together — 50 years.’”

  Pam and Bobby Mason, of Taylors, South Carolina, will observe their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 9, 2022. Pam seems to think they prove this old saying: “Opposites attract.” 

“We are truly blessed to celebrate 50 years together,” Pam says. “We’re blessed because each one of you have come today.” 

Mr. Paul Mason and Mrs. Sylvia Hewitt Mason had three children (in order): Joyce Cox, Bobby, and Larry. 

Pam Burrell, the oldest of four daughters, was born on June 2, 1954, in Greer, SC. Her parents, Mr. Paul Burrell and Mrs. Florence Boss Burrell, had four daughters (in order): Pam Mason, Debbie Howell, the late Terry Ferguson, and Renea Collins.

Pam says her teachers used to send notes to her parents and write on report cards that Pam needed to talk more. They said she was too quiet.

“In elementary school, I used to pray in class that the bell would ring before it was my time to stand up and read aloud!” Pam says.   

She and her sisters started singing together as “The Burrell Sisters” at these ages: Pam, 8; Debbie, 6; Terry, 4; and Renea, 2. 

“Daddy had prayed that God would allow us girls to begin singing at the old Faith Temple Church building when Joann Thompson let children sing ‘specials’ in the auditorium before Sunday morning services,” Pam says. “Joann,  along with my Aunt Betty Smith, encouraged children to participate in singing and music.”

The Burrell Sisters began to sing at Faith Temple and also sing on weekends at various churches. Pam prayed that God would allow her to play the piano. Singing in public with her sisters helped Pam lose the fear of getting up in front of people and speaking up, though she still wanted her daddy to announce the songs they sang.

  About Bobby

  Bobby was born on Sept 4, 1952. Pam says that, according to his family, Bobby was like a young “Dennis the Menace.” In the comic strip (and TV show), the curious child Dennis was always up to something or into something.

“Bobby loves to talk,” Pam says. “That continued for quite a while through his teenage years. Even today, he loves to tease and aggravate someone. Bobby grew up with family that loved to talk, talk very loud, and talk at the same time! They still do, but I have learned to get a word in sometimes. I remember my first visit to meet his parents — lots of talking, but his daddy told me to just join in when there was a break! But I think I just got in a ‘hello’ and a ‘goodbye!’ 

“Bobby has always loved my family: the Burrells and the Boss families. And I have truly loved his family: the Masons and his Grandmother Hewitt whom I met. Bobby loved being spoiled by his grandparents. Granny Mason let him get into the sugar bowl, he says.”

Pam’s grandmother — “Mama Burrell” to the Burrell Girls — said one day about Bobby, “One of you girls need to latch on to him!”

“The Burrell Girls all had to double-date back in those days or we did not date,” Pam says, “so Bobby came into the picture as a double-date for a couple of times, and I was not the first, or the second, or third. But then there came a time that he was my date. So Mama’s wish came true — and so did Mine!

“Bobby kept coming back because Mama Burrell made her special pound cake for him and, one time, gave him the whole cake!”

Pam was the first Troy and Floy (“Papa and Mama”) Burrell grandchild to get married.

“Mama Burrell said she would take care of ordering our wedding cake,” Pam says, “and that became a tradition for the rest of the grandchildren, for a while. We were blessed to attend Papa and Mama Burrell’s 50th wedding anniversary held right here in this very room (the Faith Temple fellowship building)! We also attended the 50th for my grandparents on my mothers side, held in LaFayette, Georgia. Back then, my prayer was that if God allowed us 50 years together, I wanted to celebrate and thank Him for that blessing!”
    
  Blessings

  “Bobby and I are so blessed that God gave us two sons who are most precious to our hearts: Brian Paul Mason, named after Bobby’s dad (Paul Mason) and my dad (Paul Burrell); and Jonathan Lee Mason, named after mama’s parents (Roy Lee Boss and Biddie Lee Boss). Those names — Paul and Lee — passed on through the family.  

“Today we are also blessed with two beautiful daughters-in-law: Stephanie Terry Mason and Lindsay McGee Mason. So the story goes on with our hearts overflowed as four beautiful grandchildren came into this world. I will never forget when we laid eyes on each of them and held them for the first time: Ansley Susan Mason, Haven Elizabeth Mason, Jonathan Asher Mason, and Austin Paul Mason (the youngest, born on Bobby's birthday September 4).”

  Grateful
 
“When Bobby and I are asked, ‘How have you made it fifty years together?’ Our answer is ‘It Is God: first of all, loving Him, loving each other, learning to finally take time for each other, give in sometimes, talk about things, and pray together about everything! We’ve had our rocky and hard times, too, but love has kept us together though it all.

“We are forever grateful and thankful to God for all He has done for us today! We are forever grateful for our Family of 10: us, our children, and grand-babies! We pray for them everyday.

We pray for our extended families and our precious friends that God has blessed us with.”
 
  Thanks  
 
  “This Celebration was important to us, and Bobby and I love each and every one of you that has taken time to spend with us!” Pam says. “We thank you for years of love you have shown to us and our family and the prayers you have prayed. You will never know what you mean to us. Our prayer is that God allows us all to be together, here, as long as we can be, and that we will all be together, along with our loved ones and friends, when we gather again, one day, and live forever together in our Heavenly Home that is being prepared for all of us. No celebration here will compare to that one!”

(Today, please see vintage photographs of Pam and Bobby and view their Wedding Album that shows photos of their wedding party — Dec. 9, 1972!)

Pam says, “Pastor Jimmy Thompson would tell us that our marriage would last a lifetime, as we gathered the week after the wedding in the ‘old church sanctuary’ to take pictures AGAIN — after the photographer failed to get all the original pictures to us!  “Thank all of you who have had a part in making this day a day to remember!”
 
  Love and Blessings,
  Bobby and Pam Mason