"Page Pioneer" Elizabeth Doane Mayes
(March 14, 1922 - January 17, 2010)
USBR justified the Butler buildings as "warehouses", so two were up, and they were working on the third, by the time elementary teacher Elizabeth Mayes and her husband, Ralph Mayes, who was the school maintenance foreman until his death in 1969, arrived in "America's Last Frontier" -- Page, Arizona on Nov 2, 1957. They made Page their home.
Elizabeth Doane Mayes passed away quietly and peacefully Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 at Manor Care-Wingfield Hills in Sparks, Nevada. Her daughters, Susan Mayes-Smith and Nancy Noonan were by her side.
Elizabeth was born March 14, 1922 to George Earl Doane and Mary Radley Doane in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the second of three children, known by her family and friends as a joyful child whom they called "Betty." They knew her to be a "bookworm," a warm and loyal friend with a positive outlook and sense of humor, and one who had a great appreciation for family fun, social events and dancing.
After graduating from high school in Poplar Bluff at the top of her class in 1939, she attended a prestigious girls college, William Woods in Fulton, MO, now a co-ed, four-year institution. Betty made many friends of her own and developed a reputation for an outgoing personality and love of jitterbug. She was the first woman on campus to wear jeans, setting an irreversible trend.
After completing her liberal arts studies at William Woods, she transferred to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She graduated in 1942 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism.
Shortly after graduation, Betty headed West on the train to join relatives in Jerome, Arizona, to take a job teaching high school English. She had planned to leave her childhood name, "Betty", behind in Missouri, but her relatives had advised all their friends that "Betty was coming to Jerome to teach." She would be known as Betty for a few more decades.
Betty married Ralph Mayes, a mechanic and school bus driver who had recently arrived home from the the war. He was divorced and had a toddler, Ronnie, who lived with his mother and grandmother in Prescott, Arizona. They had three children of their own. They left Jerome in 1957 to become pioneers of Page. Ralph had been hired to be maintenance foreman for the emerging Page School District, and Betty would teach fourth grade.
Betty felt honored to teach all grade levels of diverse populations. She had tremendous respect for the Navajo culture and felt as though she learned from her students as much or more as they learned from her. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she took the opportunity to express her love of journalism by serving as northern Arizona's correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and Arizona Republic newspapers.
Betty became a single mother of three teenagers when Ralph passed away in April 1969. She kept up her professional, social, and community organization memberships. Not long after her children grew up and left home, she reclaimed her birth name, "Elizabeth", and faced the challenge of convincing family and friends to call her by the name she had cherished since childhood.
After Elizabeth's vision was completely gone in 1975, she continued to teach school for 10 years and, as always before, was known as an effective teacher. Upon retiring in 1985, she became a community activist, serving on numerous boards and leading a number of community organizations. She assisted in establishing the Lake Powell Arts Association and was active in the Democratic Party and Arizona politics affecting the Page area.
Elizabeth donated to numerous causes benefiting community and youth development. She was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Page Unified School District Governing Board and subsequently ran unopposed for a second term. Her decisions on the board were consistently driven by what she believed was "best for the child."
Her son, Johnny, moved back to Page in September 2008 to assist her in her home and to support her continued efforts in community involvement and her work on the governing board. She resigned before her second term had ended and moved to Sparks, NV to be near her daughters.
Survivors include her brother, Duane Doane of Ada, Oklahoma; four children, Ronnie (Sharon) Mayes of Prescott, Johnny (Lillian) Mayes of Page, Susan (Devin) Mayes-Smith of Sparks, Nevada, and Nancy (Edward) Noonan of Reno, Nevada; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Alice Doane Martin; and one grandson: Camrick Smith.
A tribute in honor of Elizabeth was held at her annual Fourth of July party on July 4, 2010, on her patio at 243 N. Navajo Drive. A private interment was held by the family at Page Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, all are invited to contribute to the Elizabeth Doane Mayes Scholarship Fund, care of Page Unified School District, P.O. Box 1927, Page, AZ 86040.
(March 14, 1922 - January 17, 2010)
USBR justified the Butler buildings as "warehouses", so two were up, and they were working on the third, by the time elementary teacher Elizabeth Mayes and her husband, Ralph Mayes, who was the school maintenance foreman until his death in 1969, arrived in "America's Last Frontier" -- Page, Arizona on Nov 2, 1957. They made Page their home.
Elizabeth Doane Mayes passed away quietly and peacefully Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 at Manor Care-Wingfield Hills in Sparks, Nevada. Her daughters, Susan Mayes-Smith and Nancy Noonan were by her side.
Elizabeth was born March 14, 1922 to George Earl Doane and Mary Radley Doane in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the second of three children, known by her family and friends as a joyful child whom they called "Betty." They knew her to be a "bookworm," a warm and loyal friend with a positive outlook and sense of humor, and one who had a great appreciation for family fun, social events and dancing.
After graduating from high school in Poplar Bluff at the top of her class in 1939, she attended a prestigious girls college, William Woods in Fulton, MO, now a co-ed, four-year institution. Betty made many friends of her own and developed a reputation for an outgoing personality and love of jitterbug. She was the first woman on campus to wear jeans, setting an irreversible trend.
After completing her liberal arts studies at William Woods, she transferred to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She graduated in 1942 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism.
Shortly after graduation, Betty headed West on the train to join relatives in Jerome, Arizona, to take a job teaching high school English. She had planned to leave her childhood name, "Betty", behind in Missouri, but her relatives had advised all their friends that "Betty was coming to Jerome to teach." She would be known as Betty for a few more decades.
Betty married Ralph Mayes, a mechanic and school bus driver who had recently arrived home from the the war. He was divorced and had a toddler, Ronnie, who lived with his mother and grandmother in Prescott, Arizona. They had three children of their own. They left Jerome in 1957 to become pioneers of Page. Ralph had been hired to be maintenance foreman for the emerging Page School District, and Betty would teach fourth grade.
Betty felt honored to teach all grade levels of diverse populations. She had tremendous respect for the Navajo culture and felt as though she learned from her students as much or more as they learned from her. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she took the opportunity to express her love of journalism by serving as northern Arizona's correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and Arizona Republic newspapers.
Betty became a single mother of three teenagers when Ralph passed away in April 1969. She kept up her professional, social, and community organization memberships. Not long after her children grew up and left home, she reclaimed her birth name, "Elizabeth", and faced the challenge of convincing family and friends to call her by the name she had cherished since childhood.
After Elizabeth's vision was completely gone in 1975, she continued to teach school for 10 years and, as always before, was known as an effective teacher. Upon retiring in 1985, she became a community activist, serving on numerous boards and leading a number of community organizations. She assisted in establishing the Lake Powell Arts Association and was active in the Democratic Party and Arizona politics affecting the Page area.
Elizabeth donated to numerous causes benefiting community and youth development. She was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Page Unified School District Governing Board and subsequently ran unopposed for a second term. Her decisions on the board were consistently driven by what she believed was "best for the child."
Her son, Johnny, moved back to Page in September 2008 to assist her in her home and to support her continued efforts in community involvement and her work on the governing board. She resigned before her second term had ended and moved to Sparks, NV to be near her daughters.
Survivors include her brother, Duane Doane of Ada, Oklahoma; four children, Ronnie (Sharon) Mayes of Prescott, Johnny (Lillian) Mayes of Page, Susan (Devin) Mayes-Smith of Sparks, Nevada, and Nancy (Edward) Noonan of Reno, Nevada; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Alice Doane Martin; and one grandson: Camrick Smith.
A tribute in honor of Elizabeth was held at her annual Fourth of July party on July 4, 2010, on her patio at 243 N. Navajo Drive. A private interment was held by the family at Page Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, all are invited to contribute to the Elizabeth Doane Mayes Scholarship Fund, care of Page Unified School District, P.O. Box 1927, Page, AZ 86040.
"Page Pioneer" Elizabeth Doane Mayes
(March 14, 1922 - January 17, 2010)
USBR justified the Butler buildings as "warehouses", so two were up, and they were working on the third, by the time elementary teacher Elizabeth Mayes and her husband, Ralph Mayes, who was the school maintenance foreman until his death in 1969, arrived in "America's Last Frontier" -- Page, Arizona on Nov 2, 1957. They made Page their home.
Elizabeth Doane Mayes passed away quietly and peacefully Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 at Manor Care-Wingfield Hills in Sparks, Nevada. Her daughters, Susan Mayes-Smith and Nancy Noonan were by her side.
Elizabeth was born March 14, 1922 to George Earl Doane and Mary Radley Doane in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the second of three children, known by her family and friends as a joyful child whom they called "Betty." They knew her to be a "bookworm," a warm and loyal friend with a positive outlook and sense of humor, and one who had a great appreciation for family fun, social events and dancing.
After graduating from high school in Poplar Bluff at the top of her class in 1939, she attended a prestigious girls college, William Woods in Fulton, MO, now a co-ed, four-year institution. Betty made many friends of her own and developed a reputation for an outgoing personality and love of jitterbug. She was the first woman on campus to wear jeans, setting an irreversible trend.
After completing her liberal arts studies at William Woods, she transferred to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She graduated in 1942 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism.
Shortly after graduation, Betty headed West on the train to join relatives in Jerome, Arizona, to take a job teaching high school English. She had planned to leave her childhood name, "Betty", behind in Missouri, but her relatives had advised all their friends that "Betty was coming to Jerome to teach." She would be known as Betty for a few more decades.
Betty married Ralph Mayes, a mechanic and school bus driver who had recently arrived home from the the war. He was divorced and had a toddler, Ronnie, who lived with his mother and grandmother in Prescott, Arizona. They had three children of their own. They left Jerome in 1957 to become pioneers of Page. Ralph had been hired to be maintenance foreman for the emerging Page School District, and Betty would teach fourth grade.
Betty felt honored to teach all grade levels of diverse populations. She had tremendous respect for the Navajo culture and felt as though she learned from her students as much or more as they learned from her. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she took the opportunity to express her love of journalism by serving as northern Arizona's correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and Arizona Republic newspapers.
Betty became a single mother of three teenagers when Ralph passed away in April 1969. She kept up her professional, social, and community organization memberships. Not long after her children grew up and left home, she reclaimed her birth name, "Elizabeth", and faced the challenge of convincing family and friends to call her by the name she had cherished since childhood.
After Elizabeth's vision was completely gone in 1975, she continued to teach school for 10 years and, as always before, was known as an effective teacher. Upon retiring in 1985, she became a community activist, serving on numerous boards and leading a number of community organizations. She assisted in establishing the Lake Powell Arts Association and was active in the Democratic Party and Arizona politics affecting the Page area.
Elizabeth donated to numerous causes benefiting community and youth development. She was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Page Unified School District Governing Board and subsequently ran unopposed for a second term. Her decisions on the board were consistently driven by what she believed was "best for the child."
Her son, Johnny, moved back to Page in September 2008 to assist her in her home and to support her continued efforts in community involvement and her work on the governing board. She resigned before her second term had ended and moved to Sparks, NV to be near her daughters.
Survivors include her brother, Duane Doane of Ada, Oklahoma; four children, Ronnie (Sharon) Mayes of Prescott, Johnny (Lillian) Mayes of Page, Susan (Devin) Mayes-Smith of Sparks, Nevada, and Nancy (Edward) Noonan of Reno, Nevada; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Alice Doane Martin; and one grandson: Camrick Smith.
A tribute in honor of Elizabeth was held at her annual Fourth of July party on July 4, 2010, on her patio at 243 N. Navajo Drive. A private interment was held by the family at Page Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, all are invited to contribute to the Elizabeth Doane Mayes Scholarship Fund, care of Page Unified School District, P.O. Box 1927, Page, AZ 86040.
(March 14, 1922 - January 17, 2010)
USBR justified the Butler buildings as "warehouses", so two were up, and they were working on the third, by the time elementary teacher Elizabeth Mayes and her husband, Ralph Mayes, who was the school maintenance foreman until his death in 1969, arrived in "America's Last Frontier" -- Page, Arizona on Nov 2, 1957. They made Page their home.
Elizabeth Doane Mayes passed away quietly and peacefully Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 at Manor Care-Wingfield Hills in Sparks, Nevada. Her daughters, Susan Mayes-Smith and Nancy Noonan were by her side.
Elizabeth was born March 14, 1922 to George Earl Doane and Mary Radley Doane in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the second of three children, known by her family and friends as a joyful child whom they called "Betty." They knew her to be a "bookworm," a warm and loyal friend with a positive outlook and sense of humor, and one who had a great appreciation for family fun, social events and dancing.
After graduating from high school in Poplar Bluff at the top of her class in 1939, she attended a prestigious girls college, William Woods in Fulton, MO, now a co-ed, four-year institution. Betty made many friends of her own and developed a reputation for an outgoing personality and love of jitterbug. She was the first woman on campus to wear jeans, setting an irreversible trend.
After completing her liberal arts studies at William Woods, she transferred to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She graduated in 1942 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism.
Shortly after graduation, Betty headed West on the train to join relatives in Jerome, Arizona, to take a job teaching high school English. She had planned to leave her childhood name, "Betty", behind in Missouri, but her relatives had advised all their friends that "Betty was coming to Jerome to teach." She would be known as Betty for a few more decades.
Betty married Ralph Mayes, a mechanic and school bus driver who had recently arrived home from the the war. He was divorced and had a toddler, Ronnie, who lived with his mother and grandmother in Prescott, Arizona. They had three children of their own. They left Jerome in 1957 to become pioneers of Page. Ralph had been hired to be maintenance foreman for the emerging Page School District, and Betty would teach fourth grade.
Betty felt honored to teach all grade levels of diverse populations. She had tremendous respect for the Navajo culture and felt as though she learned from her students as much or more as they learned from her. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she took the opportunity to express her love of journalism by serving as northern Arizona's correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and Arizona Republic newspapers.
Betty became a single mother of three teenagers when Ralph passed away in April 1969. She kept up her professional, social, and community organization memberships. Not long after her children grew up and left home, she reclaimed her birth name, "Elizabeth", and faced the challenge of convincing family and friends to call her by the name she had cherished since childhood.
After Elizabeth's vision was completely gone in 1975, she continued to teach school for 10 years and, as always before, was known as an effective teacher. Upon retiring in 1985, she became a community activist, serving on numerous boards and leading a number of community organizations. She assisted in establishing the Lake Powell Arts Association and was active in the Democratic Party and Arizona politics affecting the Page area.
Elizabeth donated to numerous causes benefiting community and youth development. She was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Page Unified School District Governing Board and subsequently ran unopposed for a second term. Her decisions on the board were consistently driven by what she believed was "best for the child."
Her son, Johnny, moved back to Page in September 2008 to assist her in her home and to support her continued efforts in community involvement and her work on the governing board. She resigned before her second term had ended and moved to Sparks, NV to be near her daughters.
Survivors include her brother, Duane Doane of Ada, Oklahoma; four children, Ronnie (Sharon) Mayes of Prescott, Johnny (Lillian) Mayes of Page, Susan (Devin) Mayes-Smith of Sparks, Nevada, and Nancy (Edward) Noonan of Reno, Nevada; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Alice Doane Martin; and one grandson: Camrick Smith.
A tribute in honor of Elizabeth was held at her annual Fourth of July party on July 4, 2010, on her patio at 243 N. Navajo Drive. A private interment was held by the family at Page Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, all are invited to contribute to the Elizabeth Doane Mayes Scholarship Fund, care of Page Unified School District, P.O. Box 1927, Page, AZ 86040.
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