Mardel Mavis Cason, 68, passed away peacefully at her home in Ojai,California on October 15, 2026. She is survived by her husband of 48 years,
Raymond Douglas (Doug) Cason of Ojai; son Raymond Jacob (RJ) Cason of Ojai and his girlfriend Sheena Innocente; mother Gwendolyn Wipf of Ojai; sister and brother-in-law Melva Hatchard Petrich and Gale Petrich of Oak View, California,
brother and sister-in-law Mark and Nancy Wipf of The Villages, Florida; sister and brother-in-law Maurine and Dave Martin of Hayden, Idaho; and many loving extended family members. Mardel was preceded in death by her daughter,
Kiana Nicole Cason, 2020 and her father Melvin Wipf, 2009.
Mardel was born on September 26, 1958 in Huron, South Dakota. Her family moved to California in 1964 and Mardel grew up in Solvang, California. In her high school years, Mardel’s family moved to Ventura, California where she subsequently graduated from Ventura High School. Following high school, she enrolled in Lou Ross Academy in Ventura and received her cosmetology license.
Mardel met her husband Doug at their church in Ventura, and they married in 1978. After living and working as a hair stylist in Ventura in her early career, she eventually landed in the Ojai Valley where, except for a brief three-year relocation to Big Bear, California, she lived and worked as a hair stylist until her passing. Mardel had a wonderful talent for hair styling and had many clients over the decades whom she loved and loved her.
Mardel was introduced to mosaic art by her friend and employer Tom Hardcastle, where she found a new creative medium for her artistic talents. In the last years of her life, she created lovely and personal mosaic artworks for family-members and friends. Mardel was also a gifted storyteller, and her dry, humorous recount of events would evoke amusement and laughter from all.
Christian faith was the foundation of Mardel’s life, and she lived her beliefs with quiet conviction, extending grace and kindness to everyone she encountered.
Her life was a testament to the simple, profound difference one person can make by choosing love every day. Friends and family are invited to a celebration of her life on Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Redemption Church
in Ojai, California.