Cecil Bernard Mast died on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at the Hammersmith House Nursing Care Center in Saugus. His death was the final stop in a long journey with Alzheimer's Disease. Cecil was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 21, 1927, the son of George and Anna (Ordowski) Mast. His parents were second-generation German immigrants who raised their eight children in the largely German neighborhood of St. Benedict's Parish, near Wrigley Field. Cecil began work at age 10 with a job as helper in an optician's shop. Cecil's life was shaped by several unexpected events. On his first day of public high school, he learned that he had received a full scholarship to DePaul Academy, one of the best private prep schools in Chicago at the time. He cut his high school career short, announcing to the principal on his 18th birthday that he was enlisting in the Navy (this came after he lied about his age in an unsuccessful attempt to join the Seabees). He served at the naval station in Cleveland as a chief petty officer. As a result of his Navy service, Cecil attended DePaul University on the GI Bill, completing his B.S. in physics in three years while working full time. The next turning point came when a professor recommended that he consider doing graduate work at the University of Notre Dame. He began his studies there in 1951 and graduated in 1956, living for part of the time as a caretaker in what is now LaFortune Student Center. For the rest of his life, Cecil regarded Notre Dame as his true home. After graduation, at the urging of his friend and colleague, Fr. Ernan McMullen, Cecil traveled to Ireland to do post-doctoral work at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Dublin. There he met Mary Faul, who was working as an administrator for the institute. After some time, he worked up the nerve to ask her out for lunch. Later, he told his children that if Mary had been busy that day, they would never have existed. Luckily she was free for lunch. Cecil and Mary were married in Louth Village, Ireland, in July, 1959, and shortly thereafter moved to South Bend, Indiana, so Cecil could begin teaching in the Mathematics Department at Notre Dame, where he was a professor until his retirement in 1998. Cecil was a man of great intellectual curiosity. In addition to his research in theoretical physics, he contributed two papers to the anthology The Concept of Matter and wrote three textbooks; he also helped many neighborhood children (including his own) with their math homework. He taught himself ancient Egyptian, learned to cook Chinese and Italian food, and joined a wood-carving group after his retirement. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed music, old movies, and being with his family and friends. One of his greatest joys was having people over for dinner and remaining at the dining table for hours, enjoying lively conversation. From the time he was a graduate student, Cecil was very active in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Over the years he held every office in the local council, and he helped establish the Society's thrift store. He made many trips to bring food to families in need, and every Sunday for 25 years, he would visit the residents of a nearby nursing home, bringing them fruit and candy and lingering to chat or play cards. Over the years he formed long-term friendships with many of the residents. In recognition of their volunteer work and their dedication to peace and human rights, Cecil and Mary were awarded the Grenville Clark Award from the University of Notre Dame. Of all things in his life, Cecil was most devoted to his family. His relatively flexible work schedule allowed him to be home when his children were sick and to take time in the summers for car trips to state parks and other destinations near and far. He enjoyed reading to his family around the fire, especially at Christmas time. He was always there to lend a sympathetic ear, provide sage guidance or just help out with a few "hard sums." He is survived by his five sisters, Josephine Boyd, Rita Eisenhauer, Bernadette Renwick, Virginia Mast, and Mary Brown; his four children, , Brigid Alverson of Melrose, Maura Mast (Jack Reynolds) and (Jennifer Waits); and nine grandchildren, Elizabeth and Maura Alverson; Eileen, Brian, and Madeline McTigue; Brendan, Maeve, and Nuala Reynolds; and Beatrice Waits-Mast. He was preceded in death by his wife and by an infant child, Josephine, as well as his brothers George and John. Services will be held at Notre Dame. Arrangements by The Gately Funeral Home of Melrose. Donations in Cecil's memory may be sent to the Melrose Emergency Fund, c/o Mayor's Office, City Hall, 562 Main St., Melrose, MA 02176, or to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17 Chicago, IL, 60601 or www.alz.org. To sign Cecil's gust book, please visit www.gatelyfh.com.