James Monroe Mayo

James Monroe Mayo, 61, passed away at his home in Wasilla on Nov. 27, 2009, following a long battle with liver disease.

A Memorial Service will be held today at Valley Funeral Home, 151 E. Herning Ave., Wasilla, at 7 p.m. Earl Rommer will officiate the service.

James was born Feb. 9, 1948, to Elijah Abraham and Pauline Mayo in Asheville, N.C., and graduated from Elizabethton High School in Elizabethton, Tenn. He married Doris Greenwell in 1966 and had two children, Lisa and Kevin.

He operated Mayo’s Ceramic Tile Service in Elizabethton, Tenn., from 1980 to 2000. In 1984, he married his wife, Mary, of Wasilla. James moved and became a resident of Alaska in June 2000 so he could be closer to his grandchildren, and he eventually settled in Wasilla, where he reopened Mayo’s Ceramic Tile Service.

James had been an active member of the United Church of God since 1988. His hobbies included gardening, yard work and taking care of his dogs.

His family described him as a very generous man, a loving husband, father and grandfather: “He loved animals, especially his dogs, and he loved working in his yard and going to church.”

James is survived by his wife, Mary Mayo, of Wasilla; son Kevin Mayo of Elizabethton, Tenn.; daughter Lisa (Jeff) Bolton of Atlanta, Ga.; grandchildren Jeffrey, Jacob, Anna and Grace; daughter Darlene (Jack) Rungus of Wasilla; grandchildren Jessica, Jennifer and Morgan; daughter Dawn (Dean) Rose of Spokane, Wash.; grandchildren Elizabeth, Dean and Jimmy; sister Marie (Johnnie) Campbell of Johnson City, Tenn.; sister Naomi (Walt) Wynegar of Gray, Tenn.; sister Kathy (Gary) Smith of Fairborn, Ohio; brother Jerry (Shanda) Mayo of Tifton, Ga.; brother David Mayo of Kingsport, Tenn,; grandsons Hayden Mayo of Johnson City, Tenn., and Peyton Mayo of Jackson, Tenn. He is also survived by eight nephews, one niece and two great-grandchildren.