The world of education and football has lost a unique figure with the death of Richard Mason at the age of 82. A cherished teacher, prolific writer, and a fan with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the beautiful game, Mason's life was a rich tapestry woven from classical history, grassroots sport, and a profound love for Italy.
A Life in Teaching and a Passion for Sport
Richard Mason dedicated two decades to shaping young minds at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, where he taught history and Latin from 1967. Colleagues and pupils remembered him as a gifted and inspirational educator, whose approach was influenced by Robin Williams’s character in the film Dead Poets Society. Beyond the classroom, he was a fervent sports coach, guiding cricket teams and running the local Sunday league side, Abbey Wood FC. His coaching prowess led the team to a significant triumph: winning their division in the Kent Suburban Football League in 1981.
His passion for football was legendary, ignited in 1955 when his father took him to see Woking play Walthamstow Avenue. This spark grew into a lifelong commitment, culminating in an astonishing personal record of attending 5,181 football matches. This incredible tally included every England game during the historic 1966 World Cup. He channelled this expertise into writing, becoming a regular contributor to the iconic football magazine When Saturday Comes and the Woking FC matchday programme.
A New Chapter in Bergamo and the Agony of Lockdown
In a move that surprised his family, Mason relocated to Bergamo, Italy, in 1987. Fluent in Italian, he found his spiritual home there, immersing himself in the local culture and fervently supporting the city's Serie A club, Atalanta BC. He continued teaching, first in private language schools and later within the Italian state system, before retiring around 2008.
His life in Italy was irrevocably changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Bergamo became one of Europe's earliest and most severe epicentres in the spring of 2020. Confined to his fourth-floor apartment for what would become over 1,000 days, Mason witnessed the horrific daily procession of military lorries transporting the dead. From this profound isolation was born his "Letters from Italy" – a daily, and later weekly, email dispatch to his family, offering poignant reflections on his confined existence and observations on global events.
A Legacy of Knowledge and Resilience
The prolonged lockdown severely impacted his physical health, and he emerged from the pandemic requiring a wheelchair. Yet, his intellectual vigour remained undimmed. He continued to draw upon a vast reservoir of historical and sporting knowledge in his correspondence and conversations. Sensing his health declining, he returned to England in November 2024, spending his final days in a care home in Reigate, Surrey.
Born in Pyrford, Surrey, to Charles, an accountant, and Joy, a wartime nurse, Mason was educated at Hordle House prep school and Shrewsbury School before reading classics and history at Exeter College, Oxford. He is survived by his sister, Jane, two brothers, David and the author of the obituary, and seven nieces.
