Obituaries

She also was a founder and board member of the Faith and Politics Institute in Washington.

Mrs. Franz, who had lived in Washington since 1968, was born in Newton, Kan. She graduated with a degree in social sciences and religion from Bethel College in Newton, and in 1957, she graduated magna cum laude with a master's degree in religious education from Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind.

In the 1950s, Mrs. Franz and her husband, Delton, began an inter-racial Mennonite church. They were active in the civil rights movement and coordinated rallies and speaking engagements with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 1950s and '60s, Mrs. Franz worked for the Church Federation of Greater Chicago and became director of a religious education program.

In 1971, she helped found Dunamis, a Christian advocacy organization. She also served as the organization's first director.

"Marian was a tireless voice for religious freedom and the rights of people of conscience," Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said in a statement. "Her energy and persistence in advocating for the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund was a reflection of her deep commitment to our democracy and to the cause of peace."

She was a member of Hyattsville Mennonite Church.

Her husband of 52 years, Delton Franz, died in March.

Survivors include three children, Gregory Franz of Los Angeles, Gayle Franz of Newton and Coretta Franz-Eby of Lancaster, Pa.; and two grandchildren.

Merle MasonSystems Analyst

Merle Jeanne Halverson Mason, 84, who worked for the U.S. Treasury Department for nearly 50 years, died Nov. 14 at her home in Gainesville, where she had lived for a month. She had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mrs. Mason, a resident of Arlington County for more than 40 years, began working for the federal government with the War Department in 1942. She transferred to the Bureau of Accounts in 1948 and finally into the Financial Management Service, where she was a systems accountant and then a consultant. She worked under 10 presidents before retiring in 1996.

She received numerous awards for new ideas and programs that saved the government and the public millions of dollars, her family said.

Upon her retirement, Gerald Murphy, the fiscal assistant secretary, wrote, "Your record of devoted service, achievements and contributions to "FMS" (previously known as "The Bureau") will leave an indelible mark for this generation."

Mrs. Mason was born in Black River Falls, Wis., where she attended a one-room schoolhouse in nearby Irving, Wis., close to her father's general store.

She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in accounting and studying music and the viola. She married and moved to Washington in 1947. She lived in Georgetown for 10 years before moving to Arlington.

In her later years, she enjoyed traveling, especially to Norway and the Holy Land. She was a member of Georgetown Lutheran Church for more than 50 years and was active in the Sons of Norway and the American Legion.

Her husband, Ronald Earl Mason, died in 1974. A daughter, Kristine Kyle, died in 2002.

Survivors include six children, Gail Myers of Crookston, Minn., Linda Phillips and Nancy Reid, both of Broad Run, Dean Mason of Bloomington, Minn., Ronald Mason of Alexandria and Rick Mason of Arlington; a sister; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.