Obituary of Naomi Ramona Mason

Naomi Ramona Premo Mason

May 13. 1929-October 28, 2023

Naomi Ramona Premo Mason. Western Shoshone RN, BSN, PHN of Owyhee Nevada, Shoshone-Paiute Reservation ‘nekka miha’ (went dancing) on October 23, 2023.

Naomi was preceded in death by her parents: Tom Premo (Toya Tepia, Tosa Wihi/Mountain & White Knife Shoshone) & Anna Premo (Tepa Tukka/Pine nut Eater), siblings: Walden Premo, Thomas Premo, Laura Townsend, Emil Premo, Mildred Scissons, Warner Premo, Willis Premo, Beverly Crum, and David Premo as well as her son: Fredrick Kay Mason, and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Naomi was married to Ron Mason and had seven children. Naomi leaves her children: Francesca Mason Boring, Regina Hovet-Osborne, Katrina Maczen-Cantrell, Brian Mason, Timothy Mason, Thomas Mason, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews and beloved relatives and friends.

Naomi was larger than life to her children. She loved being with them and other family members and worked hard to preserve Shoshone culture by introducing them to gathering wild yampa, celery, chokecherries, pinenuts and tootza, all over Nevada, including at Waterbabies Bed in the Owyhee hills. Naomi had great curiosity and enjoyed history, archeology and language preservation. She was an advocate for higher education for tribal people and remained hopeful in general.

Naomi was the daughter of Tom Premo, the first Tribal Chairman on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation and as a result was political though out her life. Naomi regularly participated in voter registration drives and traveled to Washington DC several times with other tribal members to petition for the Western Shoshone.

Naomi’s passion was nursing and her children. As an Indian Health Service (IHS) Public Health Nurse (PHN) and native Shoshone speaker, Naomi regularly drove hundreds of miles to provide public health nursing services to the Tribes in the Elko Service Unit, Ibapah, Duckwater, Ely, Elko, Southfork, Wells and Battle Mountain Indian Colonies, and Ruby Valley allotments, sometimes driving over the mountains in the snow where treacherous roads resulted in breakdowns in the mountains. She regularly hiked the Ruby Mountains while she was an IHS PHN at Southern Bands Clinic.

Naomi’s first duty station as an IHS PHN was at home at the Owyhee Hospital, on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. When serious accidents occurred she and an IHS physician would fly to the site in a twin engine plane. She did her student nursing at the Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Clinic and later spent several years as an IHS PHN at the Not-Soo-Gah-Nee clinic and as a tribal PHN for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Health Department, speaking with clients in Shoshone and Bannock.

Naomi also worked at the San Carlos Hospital as an IHS PHN and at the Parker Service Unit providing health services to the Havasupai where she was known to ride a burro down the Grand Canyon to set up mobile immunization clinics on for Havasupai children, flying out at the end of the day by helicopter.

She also worked at the Yakama Nation, in Washington, as an IHS PHN covering the Wapato district providing health services to women and children.

Arrangements are by Rost Funeral Home. Viewing will be from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at Rost Funeral Home, 500 N. 18th E., Mountain Home, Idaho, 83647. An obituary is available at www.rostfuneral.com.

Services will be held on Saturday November 4th at the Owyhee Presbyterian Church at 1 pm Mountain time.

Donations may be made to the Owyhee Presbyterian Women, P.O. Box 250, Owyhee, NV, 89832.

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