Nancy Claire Mayo

Nancy Claire Mayo, 91, passed away on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 in Yakima. Nancy was born on April 22, 1926 to Ben and Lorena (VanEaton) Nutley in Yakima. Nancy graduated from Yakima High School in 1944. She attended Yakima Valley Jr. College, the University of Washington, and earned a BA in English Literature from the University of Idaho. She later returned to the University of Idaho and earned her MAT master in teaching in 1976 at the age of 50.

Nancy married John Strand Mayo in 1946, after he returned from the war. Nancy and John had attended the same schools as children, but did not meet until alphabetical seating in high school homeroom put them beside each other. They started their life together in Moscow, Idaho while attending the University of Idaho. During their summers off from the University, they worked a placer gold mine near Elk City, Idaho with John’s father. During this time, they lived in a one room cabin with no indoor plumbing. After graduation, they moved to Alaska, with their daughter Carolyn, for work. After a long, cold year they moved back to Yakima where they raised their daughter and added three sons, Doug, Don, and Ben. In 1971, John took a job through U.S.A.I.D. in Nigeria, and the three boys joined them there for part of the time. This is where Nancy made her decision to become a teacher. Though life, in Africa, was anything but comfortable, they loved the people and the friends they made there. Nancy and John loved meeting people and traveling. After working in Nigeria, they traveled the world and never met a stranger. They kept in touch with the friends they made and many times entertained them, in their own home, back in the Yakima Valley. Nancy was a wonderful hostess, she was always ready to laugh and had a wonderful sense of humor. She was genuinely proud of her family’s accomplishments and made a point to be at as many of their games/concerts/parties as possible.

Music was Nancy’s passion, career, and life. She started piano lessons as a child and performed at a wedding when she was only nine years old. She was an accomplished pianist who accompanied dozens of performances and taught piano for many years. She began her public singing career, while still in school, as a part of the Sweet Notes. She also spent many years as a member of Bel Canto, and thoroughly enjoyed playing, leading, and singing with them. She loved to share her joy of music with family and friends alike. She organized family concerts every Christmas, where if you didn’t already play one, you would be given an instrument from her seemingly unending stash of music makers. She taught music at grade schools in the Yakima District, one of them being Garfield Elementary, the same one she attended as a child. After retirement, she continued to accompany school choirs for Yakima and Selah until she was in her 80’s.

Nancy and John were married 54 years until his death in 2000. Years later, she reconnected with an old college friend, Dave Middleton, and they spent several years together until his death in 2012. Nancy later moved from the family farm in the Wenas Valley to Yakima to live with her son Don and his wife Sally.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband John, her friend Dave Middleton, her parents, two brothers, Van and Jack Nutley, and one sister, Rose.

Nancy is survived by her four children, Carolyn (Gary) New, Douglas (Bronwyn), Donald (Sally), and Ben (Sue) Mayo, all who live locally. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, numerous great grandchildren, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at the Mayo Ranch at 2741 South Wenas Road (Doug and Bron’s house) at 3 PM on Sunday, April 22nd. Please bring a memory to share with the family. Memorial donations may be made to the Wenas Mammoth Foundation or a charity of your choice. Please join us for fellowship and music in mom’s memory. Feel free to bring a dessert to share.