Obituary of Richard W. Mayo

Richard Wales Mayo, 80, formerly of Ironia Rd. in Mendham, passed away peacefully in Virginia Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 after a brief illness. Born in Newark, New Jersey on Feb. 5, 1929, he was one of five children of Albert and Marion (Needham) Mayo. He was predeceased by his parents and three siblings, Ruth, Muriel and Floyd, and is survived by his sister, Marion Sutton of Monroe Township, NJ. Richard received his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering in 1952 from Lehigh University. He spent the first three years of his engineering career working with the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC), an affiliate of the U.S. Navy. He retired from Bell Laboratories/AT&T in 1991 after 33 years with them. He was proud of the several patents which he was granted while with Bell. He was predeceased by his first spouse and high school sweetheart, Lois Holman Mayo. He is survived by their four children: Deborah and Karl Schuetz of Chester, NJ, and their 3 children Lisa Burns and Matthew of Long Valley and Adam of Dover, NJ, Karen Sayles of St. Johnsbury, VT, Christopher Mayo of Albuquerque, NM, and John Mayo of Charlotte, NC. He was also predeceased by his second spouse, Nancy, with whom he raised her four daughters: Cynthia Case, Sally Murtagh, Elizabeth Keriazakos, and Nancy Sellars. He was blessed with 22 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren including Felicia and Skylar Burns of Long Valley. Richard was an avid outdoorsman and explorer of the United States. He enjoyed trapping as a young man, was a life-long canoeist, an Eagle Scout and Scout Leader, and explored most of our National Parks and Monuments. His most recent hobby was blacksmithing which he began at the age of 74. He also valued community involvement, serving on the grounds committee at Hilltop Presbyterian Church in Mendham, the Board of Directors of the Fort Valley Community Center and Library in Virginia, and was a member of the Fort Valley Ruritan Club. He and Nancy relocated from Mendham, New Jersey to Fort Valley, Virginia, in 1995. Visitation will be held on Monday, January 25th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Bailey Funeral Home in Mendham, New Jersey. Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, January 26th at 1:00 pm at the Hilltop Presbyterian Church in Mendham. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Fort Valley, Virginia. Richard will be remembered for many things, but mostly for his active imagination, intense curiosity and undying adventurism. He taught many and will be missed by many. The family requests that contributions be made to any of the following: The National Parks Conservation Association, The Boy Scouts of America, or the Fort Valley Virginia Community Center & Library. See website for addresses. Bailey Funeral Home is located at 8 Hilltop Rd. in Mendham, New Jersey. For those desiring, donations to the National Parks Conservation Association 1300 19th St. NW,Suite 300, Washington DC 20036, The Boy Scouts of America Patriot's Path Council, 222 Columbia Turnpike, Florham Park NJ 07922 or the Fort Valley Community Center and Library, PO Box 100, Fort Valley, Va, in his memory, would be appreciated.