Micheil Mayfield

Micheil "Mike" Allen Mayfield passed away peacefully on April 18th, 2024, in his beloved RUF room on the Oak & Willow Ranch surrounded by his wife Ginny and family. A visitation will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024 from 4-6pm at Fry-Smith Funeral Home in Tuscola, Texas. A memorial service will be held on Monday, April 22, 2024 at 10am at Lawn Baptist Church in Lawn, Texas.

Mike was born February 5,1953, to Joe Cloyd and Marcheta Faye Mayfield in Abilene, Texas. Mike attended and graduated from Jim Ned High School in 1971 (with the most tardies in Jim Ned history with Mr. Handley). While in high school, he played football for Jim Ned and was given the nickname "Wildman." He made many life-long friends during his school years. After finishing high school at Jim Ned, he worked for a period of time as a horse wrangler at Fun Valley in South Fork, Colorado.

Mike worked in the offshore drilling industry from 1977 until he retired in 2014. During his work career, Mike had the opportunity to visit many countries and made many friends, from Texas to Alaska to Singapore to New Zealand to Brazil to New Foundland. In the words of such a friend, "Mike was consistently a genuinely good guy - strong, tough, smart, honest, reliable, friendly, generous, and a great teammate." During his many voyages, Mike navigated drilling rigs from Barbados to Brazil, through the Straights of Magellan, across the equator, and around the Horn of Africa. He enjoyed keeping a "Star Date" log of his travels and loved to share them with friends and family.

Mike married his YB "Yankee Bride", Ginny, on July 7, 1990. They settled in the Jim Ned Valley, and in 1999 they purchased the Cook Ranch, which today is referred to as the Oak and Willow Ranch, where they raise horses, cattle, and goats. In 2022, Mike and Ginny received the 100-year Family Land Heritage title for the Oak and Willow/Cook Ranch established in 1895 by his great grandfather, Henry Barton "Ruff" Cook. Mike had extreme pride when speaking about his family and the long-standing family presence in the community. Mike once said in an interview about the establishment of the Cook-Mayfield Memorial Library that he hoped "stone-in-a-pond ripple effect" would inspire great things from all walks of the community.

Mike is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Ginny, daughter Sarah Parnell and husband Jarred of Austin, son Joseph Mayfield and wife Liz of Austin, two grandchildren, Mary and Gail Rutland, brother Jim Mayfield and wife Phyllis, sister Marsha Hill, sister Lorie Kraatz and husband Johnny, sisters-in-law Amy Sebring, Ruth Stone, Elizabeth Meehan and husband Harry, one uncle, one aunt, and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins. In Mike's heart, even those who were not related by birth felt like family.

Mike is preceded in death by his parents, Joe Cloyd and Marcheta Faye Mayfield, brother Tommy J. Mayfield, and sister Jeannie Carol Graham.

Pallbearers for the service will be Cody Cadjew, Cody Kraatz, Brett Gray, Billy Paul Mayfield, Tom Sherry, Joe Chmieleski, Gary Rutland, and Jack Denson.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike's name to On the Way Home Ministries at PO Box 266, Lawn, TX 79530 or to the Mike Mayfield Scholarship Fund at 3282 FM 382, Lawn, Texas 79530.