Veteran's ashes are woman's father

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake women stepped forward to claim the urn containing a veteran’s ashes, found in the back of Sgt. Justin Morris’ Hummer last week.

The ashes are Michele Dailey’s father Richard Mason, an Air Force soldier serving in the Vietnam War. Mason passed away suddenly on Aug. 25, 2008, of natural causes.

“I can’t explain how excited I am to get my dad back,” Dailey said. “I’m so grateful Sgt. Morris found him. I appreciate the way he tried to find us and the way he handled the whole situation.”

Dailey said the urn was stolen from the back of her car Dec. 12, 2009, along with many personal items left in the vehicle. Her car had broken down at 9 p.m. on the highway and was robbed when Dailey went for help.

Dailey called the police right away and a report was filed.

“The police told me they thought the urn was taken because the thief thought it was something expensive,” Dailey said.

The urn is wrapped in a maroon, velvet bag with gold trim.

“I cried all the time when it was taken and couldn’t figure out why anyone would do that,” Dailey said. “I was more mad at myself than the person that did that. I was just so afraid I would never get my dad back.”

Dailey said tears of joy streamed down her face when she read about Morris’ discovery in the Columbia Basin Herald Tuesday.

“I knew it was my dad,” she said. “I called Sgt. Morris right away and told him my story. He was so great and assured me the ashes would be returned to the family.”

Sgt. Morris returned the urn to Dailey’s brother Staff Sgt. Joe Mason yesterday.

“The brother called me after seeing the story written in the paper,” Morris said. “I told him I would return it to him because he lives in Spokane and I am in Spokane right now for a couple days.”

Morris received many calls from Mason’s family and friends Wednesday, he said.

“I’m just grateful we are able to get this back to the family,” Morris said. “I think the crook had a conscience. I’m glad he discarded the urn at the National Guard rather than throwing it away.”

Dailey and her family threw Mason a military funeral at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home in Spokane shortly after he passed away. Dailey purchased a temporary urn because she intended to spread her father’s ashes on a piece of property he owned in Addy.

“He’d purchased that land years ago and intended on building a log cabin there, but never got the chance,” Dailey said. “But he’d spent so much time there and loved it so much that it seemed the perfect place to do it.”

Dailey wanted to keep the urn in the back seat of her car for a while before she spread Mason’s ashes.

“I just wanted to keep him around with me,” Dailey said. “He traveled with me everywhere for nine months. My thought was that he was never a man to sit still; he liked to be moving around all the time. He always told us he didn’t want to be buried, so I thought this would be something he’d want.”

Dailey described her father as social, adventurous and caring.

“He was one of a kind and was always happy,” Dailey said. “He taught me that family comes first. I loved him very much.”

Dailey is not sure what to do with her father’s ashes now, but plans on talking it over with family.

“I am so grateful that whoever took the urn dropped it off at the National Guard rather than throwing it away,” Dailey said. “I would really like to talk to them and ask why they took it and why they gave it to the National Guard.”