In Loving Memory
IHRI Co-Founder Gilbert M. Mason (5/6/29-2/6/25)
After almost 96 years full of learning, travel, community-building, joke-telling, friendship, and family, International House co-founder, Gil Mason, passed away in February. Together, Gil and his wife, Dr. Lillian (Bili) Mason created a warm and generous “home away from home” in which members of the Rhode Island international community could gather for home-cooked meals, cross-cultural learning, mutual support, creative expression, and the kinds of friendships that last a lifetime. In honor of Gil’s life and legacy, his daughters, Gabrielle and Darielle, his sons-in-law, Alan and Street, and his grandson, Zach, have established the Gil Mason Memorial Fund, the proceeds of which will support the operations, programs, and mission of Gil and Bili’s “third child”: International House of Rhode Island. To make a donation in Gil’s memory, you may use our online donation system, and indicate “Gil Mason Memorial Fund.”
Alternatively, checks may be mailed to: International House of Rhode Island, 8 Stimson Ave., Providence, RI 02906
If you have any questions please contact Heidi LaVine (heidi@ihouseri.org) or John Walker (john@ihouseri.org) ph. (401) 421-7181
We hope that you will be able to join us for a celebration of Gil’s life on September 20th at International House! For more information and to RSVP, please email info@ihouseri.org.
If you would like to submit a memory or written tribute that we may share with the Mason family and the IHRI community, we’d love to hear from you! Please send those messages to info@ihouseri.org.
To read more about Gil’s life, here is a tribute to Gil written by his daughters:
Gilbert (Gil) Mason, passed away peacefully in February surrounded by family. Gil spent most of his life in Providence after a childhood in Fall River, MA and Newport. As all who knew him remember, his was a life defined by loyalty, nurturing, strength, and a sharp wit that brought support and laughter.
In the early 1960s, Gil and Dr. Lillian (Bili) Mason, his wife of 70 years, began inviting international university students from across RI into their home, offering warmth, hospitality, and the opportunity to cook and share meals from their homelands. This small gesture blossomed into a vibrant community of students from around the world. In 1963, with the support of Brown University, they founded the International House of Rhode Island, which continues to serve as a haven for students, professors, and families seeking community and connection, while fostering inter-cultural understanding that reaches far beyond the House’s walls. For more than 50 years, Gil presided over the kitchen as executive chef, working with students and community members to create feasts in a vast variety of global cuisines, while Bili made everyone feel welcome. Together, they provided students with a sense of belonging, joy, and purpose while themselves finding those in return.
After a B.A. in philosophy from Williams College, Gil served as an Air Force Lieutenant during the Korean war, including piloting a medivac helicopter for a MASH unit. After attending Harvard Business School, he took the helm of Mason's Furniture Company in Fall River, MA, running it for over three decades with integrity and care.
Gil is survived by Bili, his daughters Darielle Mason (Thoma), Gabrielle Mason (Cohen), grandson Zachary Mason Cohen, and many, many children of his heart who live on nearly every continent in the world.