Diane Mayo

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our dear mother, Diane Mayo, passed away in the early hours of the morning on Friday, March 14, 2025. Mom fought and won many battles against the several health issues she faced over the last few years. She unfailingly had a smile on her face and a kind word for her caregivers as she underwent treatment and repeated hospitalizations. While she has moved on, her positive spirit never wavered. Her loss is immeasurable to us. Diane was born to Hubert Doyle May and Nellie Corinne Patterson May on April 15, 1946, in Dallas, Texas. Diane grew up in Lancaster, Texas. Both her parents doted on her throughout her childhood. Her early years were largely – by the photographs and her own account – Eisenhower-era idyllic, filled with themed parties, Girl Scout activities, and dance recitals. She graduated from Lancaster High School in 1964 where she was a dedicated member of the drill team and solidified deep, lifelong friendships with many of her peers. After a stint as a secretary, she distinguished herself as a supportive spouse and dedicated mother. In 1976, she relocated with her family to Palestine, Texas, to further her husband’s journalism career. Starting fresh as the wife of the editor of the local daily newspaper, she again built lasting friendships and engaged in many civic organizations and activities while being fully involved in rearing her two sons. In the 1990s, Diane moved back to Lancaster to support her mother after her father passed away. Over the next two decades, she worked in and managed several retail businesses specializing in cosmetics and shoes in the Dallas metroplex and Roswell, New Mexico. She had a deep love for Christmas and found great joy in the act of gift-giving. Later in life, she became actively engaged in political causes that were important to her. She was a prolific poster of progressive memes on Facebook, yet she was still able to maintain her friendships across the political divide. Diane was also immensely proud of her family and their accomplishments. Diane is survived by her two her sons, Thomas Gregory Mayo and his wife, Pamela, of Cypress, Texas, and Jason Mayo and his husband, John Lewis, of San Francisco, California; a brother, Doug May, and his wife, Lynn Bernick, of Dallas, Texas; her grandsons, Adam Mayo of Cypress, Texas, and Jonathan Mayo with his wife, Whitney of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and her great-grandchildren, Vivien and Wesley. We invite you to join us as we celebrate her life and legacy at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 9, 2025. The ceremony will begin at Edgewood Cemetery off Nokomis Road in Lancaster, Texas, where Diane will be laid to rest next to her cherished mother and father. Memorial contributions may be made, if desired, to Parsons House Assisted Living Community’s Employee Appreciation Fund at 15055 N. Eldridge Parkway, Cypress, Texas 77429. Their staff provided loving care and comfort to Mom in the last few months of her life. Diane’s warmth, generosity, and dedication to those she loved will be deeply missed and her memory will live on through her family and friends.

Tributes

Diane Mayo

April 15, 1946 - March 14, 2025