John Thomas Mayes
Feb. 16, 1936 – Jan. 8, 2020
John Thomas Mayes, 83, a resident of Clairmont, Virginia departed this life on January 8, 2020 after a short but tough battle with cancer, staying his usual stubborn self all the way to the end.
His wife of nearly 40 years, Helen Mayes, predeceased him in October 2019. He is survived by 4 children; Robin West, Randolph Mayes, Ronald Mayes and Rhonda Mayes; 2 grandchildren, Elizabeth Cilona and Amanda West and 1 great grandchild, McKenna Burruss. He is survived by 1 brother, Frank Mayes and 1 sister, Patty Broach and many nieces and nephews. He was also survived by stepchildren from his wife Helen; Linda Martin, John Chaplin, Sheila Dixon, Patricia Butler, Mary Townes, Carol Long and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was predeceased by 4 brothers, Charles Mayes, Joe Mayes, Max Mayes and George Mayes and 1 stepchild, Sandra Gilbert.
John and Helen spent many years living in the mountains of Ferrum, Virginia, which was one of his favorite places and talked about going back there after they moved to Clairmont.
John was a retired truck driver who worked for Roadway for over 35 years and received many safe driver awards during his time with the company. He was also a mechanic in the Air Force and served in Vietnam.
He will be remembered by family and friends for his fearless approach to life, his quick wit and love of anything outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisher who had a lifetime license for both. He always had a comeback for just about anything and you would find yourself laughing when around him. He was an honest man who was quick stuck in his ways and one of the most stubborn people you would ever meet. Those who met and knew him will never forget him, as he was quite a character with a very memorable personality. You would find him yelling at the T.V. and think it was a close intense football game only to find it was a quiet game of golf instead, to just give you an idea of what he was like.
Every night before bed he had to have 3 scoops of ice cream and there was never less than 12 gallons of ice cream in the freezer at any given time. He was always there to lend a hand to anyone in need, but if it was something that could have been avoided, he would help but give you his two cents the whole time, but always with love. He was a great storyteller, however, the best part of those was trying to figure out which parts were a bit exaggerated, which made it all the more fun to listen to his stories.
We will have a service for John at Affinity Funeral Service, located at 2720 Enterprise Parkway, Richmond, VA 23294; on Friday January 24, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. with time for visitation following afterwards.
Dear John,
I have only spoken your name a few times since I heard. We all have been stricken with grief since the first day of the year. I know you heard me talking to you when I last saw you in your final rest and honestly I was at a loss for words, and you know why. I still haven’t posted on Angie’s obituary as I don’t even know where to begin. We miss you and Mam-Maw and I know you both are embracing her and loving her. Give her a kiss from me and I’m going to request she give you and everyone else one back. Rejoice with our loved ones and watch over us until we have our final rest. I love you all up there, spread the word!
Uncle John, you sure will be missed by many. But I’m sure your heart was torn to pieces when you lost Aunt Helen in October 2019.. I sure am going to miss the both of you. Tell Aunt Helen, mom, daddy, grandma Lucy & pawpaw Hinty and all the rest of our family that I love’em and miss them. Hugs & kisses to all of you. RIP Uncle John, I love you.