Memorials › Floyd L. Mays

Floyd L. Mays

17 Sep 1926 – 12 Mar 2017

Birth17 Sep 1926
Death12 Mar 2017
CemeteryResurrection Memorial Cemetery
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma County , Oklahoma , USA
Added bySondra 'Sandy' Pitman Morrison on 21 Apr 2017
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177412703

Bio

OKLAHOMA CITY Mays, Floyd L., 90, brick mason and scout leader, died March 12. Services pending (Mercer-Adams, Bethany). Published in The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Thursday, March 16, 2017, Page 6A. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Floyd's auspicious beginning on September 17, 1926, in Norman, Oklahoma, was courtesy of William and Eva Mays (née Kamp). Following William's untimely death in 1931, Floyd's uncles helped look out for him and later brought him into the family's masonry business in Oklahoma City. Around 8th grade Floyd learned to play the trombone and picked up the habit of constantly whistling every single song he knew – to the chagrin of music lovers everywhere. The U.S. Marine Corps caught Floyd fudging the date on his birth certificate to enlist early for service in WWII. While waiting until age 18 to serve, he worked as an elevator operator at the Colcord Hotel in Oklahoma City, and as a messenger – two jobs you don't often see on resumes today. When finally inducted in 1944, Floyd went to Parris Island for training and then served in the South Pacific until February 1947, both figuratively and literally mopping up after V-J day in 1945. Having suffered serious health issues after shipping out, Floyd served as a cook in the Navy Mess on the islands of Truk and Guam. He was promoted to Corporal upon his honorable discharge in May 1947. Floyd didn't often discuss the details of his service, but he did tell the story of having used the butt of his rifle to knock out a huge bat menacing the Marines on Guam. The bat became the subject of scientific inquiry due to its unusual size, and was later made part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection of monstrous winged mammals in Washington D.C. And yes, this has been verified as mostly truthful though the bat's size and viciousness increased drastically with each telling. And, Floyd's knife honing skills – learned while feeding his fellow Marines – were masterful. He could straighten the edge of his chef's knives on a honing steel to the beat of many 1940s hits. His later Scouts learned the benefits of a keen edge on knives, especially when it came to "Happy Turkey Day!" After his military service, Floyd returned to Oklahoma City and worked for the Frisco and Santa Fe railways. While at Frisco, and despite his incessant whistling, Floyd met and married Kathryn Owens on June 30, 1950, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. They were active in the Catholic community, were members of the Coronado club, and Floyd served several terms as the Grand Knight, his local Knights of Columbus Catholic fraternal service organization. Floyd also helped establish the Catholic school at St. Patrick's Church in Oklahoma City. With a long family history of brick and stone masonry, Floyd was apparently destined to make that his career. He helped build many notable and architecturally-significant landmarks in Oklahoma – including the First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, St. Patrick's Catholic Church on North Portland Avenue, Baptist Hospital, and many of the gates and buildings on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, OK. Repeated tornado damage to several churches in central Oklahoma provided steady work, and Floyd became expert making repairs look like the original structure, especially with the aid of prodigious amounts of chewing tobacco. Floyd's love of the outdoors, camping, fishing, and herding "you crazy kids" made him a natural volunteer leader for the Boy Scouts of America. Both Floyd and Kathryn helped lead Cub Scouts and Boy Scout groups for many years, beginning with Pack 94 at Buchanan Elementary and continuing with Troop 17 and later Troop 7. Floyd was a member of Scouting's National Honor Society and was awarded the White Buffalo award for his outstanding service to the Scouting program in OKC. Kathryn died in 1980 following a heroic fight with pancreatic cancer. Floyd later married Patricia Burton in Oklahoma City. After Patricia's passing in 1993, Floyd married Doris Graziano in 1997. Doris passed away in 2011. Sadly, Floyd suffered a major stroke in 2007. But thankfully, he received kind support and therapy at St. Ann's Home in Oklahoma City. The staff at St. Ann's (our "Heroes in Scrubs") are amazing, and Floyd's family encourages donations to their cause in his memory. So, in Floyd's 90 and 1/2 years, he created in his friends and family (daughter Kathy, and son Steven and his wife Elle Segal) great memories of camping trips, music events, massive pigs, incredible craftsmanship, a caring heart, and of course – crazy whistling. Thank you, Floyd, for your service, military and otherwise, and for your dedication to your family and community. Semper Fi. A memorial service for Floyd L. Mays will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church - 8005 Dorset Drive, Oklahoma City. Interment at Resurrection Cemetery, 7801 NW Expressway, OKC, will follow. Instead of flowers, please consider donations to St. Ann's Home, 9400 St. Ann Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73162, or to another charity. "IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME." (William H. Johnsen – quoted often by Floyd Mays) Published in part in The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Thursday, April 20, 2017, Page 7A. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OKLAHOMA CITY Mays, Floyd L., 90, brick mason and scout leader, died March 12. Memorial services 10 a.m. Saturday, Christ the King Catholic Church (Mercer-Adams, Bethany). Published in The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Friday, April 21, 2017, Page 6A. Notes: Memorial management assumed per transfer on 2 Dec 2022.

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