GEORGE TIMOTHY "TIM" MAYO

George Timothy "Tim" Mayo was born on September 14th, 1945, in St. Anthony's Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the fourth child and second son of Mr. James Morrison and Mary Frances (Parsons) Mayo. He died at his home on August 27th, 1990, in Jenks, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, of cancer.

Tim moved with his family from Oklahoma City to Tulsa in the winter of 1946, and in 1951 became a six-year old citizen of Jenks, Oklahoma, when his family moved there. He began first grade in the Jenks Schools the following fall, and attended that school system until his joined the United States Navy in his senior year.

During his school days, he was a tuba player in the Jenks High School band. He and his friend, Mike Francisco, also organized a school sponsored music combo, called the "Jazz Jerks," and they played for various school events. After school he was employed by first, Gibson's Grocery, and later, Parker's Grocery, both in Jenks, as a sack/stock boy. He attended the Jenks First Methodist (now First United Methodist) Church located at 5th and Main Street, in Jenks. It was talked about all over town that Tim would be the one standing at the church doors when the pastor arrived to unlock the building on Sunday mornings!

Tim was fiercely patriotic, and proudly wore the uniform of the United States Navy. He completed his basic training at San Diego, California. He was a radioman for the Navy and was sent to Okinawa. He had the distinction of graduating at the top of his class in many of the schools he attended while in the Navy. He was a Vietnam veteran, having served a two-year tour of duty.

In Okinawa, he met and married Yoshiko Fukuyama (lovingly called "Yoshi" by her American family). They were married, with her family present, at Naha, Okinawa. Tim and Yoshi had two sons, James Taro and Robert Shinichi, both born in Japan. He returned, with his family, to the United States mainland in 1978 to serve out the remainder of his twenty-two-year career in Jacksonville, Florida, and Norfolk, Virginia. While stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, he suffered a heart attack and was flown to Bethesda Naval Hospital for double bypass surgery. Interestingly enough, after his operation, we learned his heart surgeon spent some time in jail for performing surgery while legally blind! Many of this doctor's patients had severe complications, but thankfully, Tim did not, except for recurring inflammation in his leg due to vein removal.

After his retirement from the Navy, he returned to Jenks with his family, where he went to work for the United States Postal Service. He was a very active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post #577, in Tulsa, serving as that post's Commander in 1989. The last years of his life were spent in tireless effort for that organization.

Tim leaves behind his wife, Yoshi, and his sons, James and Robert, who have since his passing, both married and have children of their own. Tim would have been proud to have known his daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

He also leaves his family of sisters, Pat, Susan, Betsy, and Sally, who miss his brotherly love, his generosity, and his hilarious sense of humor. He would stop at nothing to get a laugh from his family. And laugh, we did!

Tim's legacy lives on in his place: the son, the father, the brother, the husband, the friend and patriot, that is missed so much.

Tim is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Section 49, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma.