RAYMOND — The Camp Agawam community is mourning the loss and celebrating the life of its longtime leader, Dave Mason, who died last week.

Mason, also a prominent figure in the Lovell and Fryeburg communities, celebrated his 100th birthday in April with the help of former campers and councilors and said happily at the time that “it’s been a wonderful 100 years.”

A Sept. 18 message from current camp director Erik Calhoun addressed to the entire “Agawam family” announced Mason’s death and discussed his legacy.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write to you today,” Calhoun said, “On Friday, September 15, Dave Mason passed away peacefully at his home in Fryeburg, Maine surrounded by his family.”

Mason and his wife of 62 years, Peg, owned and directed the boys camp on Crescent Lake in Raymond for nearly 30 years. They eventually turned the camp over to a group of former campers, parents and staff in 1985.

The pair also owned and operated Agawam Kezar Ski Camp in Lovell for 40 years.

Mason’s obituary paints the picture of a lifelong teacher, who at different points taught at schools in Connecticut and Hawaii and later worked to give a free week-long camp experience to boys in Maine with the creation of Agawam’s Maine Idea program.

The Maine Youth Camping Association gave him the Halsey Gulick award in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to camping.

“…[C]learly one of Dave’s most lasting and important legacies is the impact that he had on countless young people during their formative journey to adulthood. He was a guiding light on the lives of so many,” Calhoun said. “Today his spirit remains alive and vibrant at Camp Agawam, but it is the people whom he patiently guided and mentored over his long life that mark the true depth of his impact. This was his gift to us all.”

According to Mason’s obituary, his extensive community involvement over the years included coaching the girls and boys basketball and baseball teams in Lovell and serving as school board member, president of the Lovell Conservation Commission, president of Lovell Youthways and Lovell Recreation, and parade chairman for Lovell Old Home Days.

He also served as a trustee at the Lovell United Church of Christ, where he and his wife have been members for 62 years. The pair met at church in Connecticut and eventually moved to Maine to run Agawam, which his father had founded.

Mason served during World War II in the American Field Service as an ambulance driver in North Africa, his obituary says.

“His loss will be deeply felt, but he lived a full and rich life and his legacy will be everlasting in the lives of the people whom he has influenced. The world is a much, much better place because of Dave Mason,” Calhoun said.

Mason’s memorial service will be held 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24, at the Lovell United Church of Christ. A reception at the Pleasant Point Inn in Lovell will follow from 4-6 p.m.

Matt Junker can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or mjunker@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @MattJunker.

Former Camp Agawam owner and director Dave Mason, seated, celebrated his 100th birthday in April with his wife Peg and family and friends. Mason died on Sept. 15.