Cecil Cleo Mayers' Obituary
Cecil C. Mayers January 30, 1927 ~ August 15, 2016
Cecil C. Mayers died in his St. Helens home on August 15, 2016 at the age of 89. Cecil was born on January 30, 1927 in Monticello, Arkansas to Charles and Grace Mayers.
He was raised in the post-depression south with three brothers and two sisters. Cecil was expected to contribute to the family’s livelihood by working on the farm and doing various chores. He was only able to complete the 8th grade before having to interrupt his education to help keep the family farm viable. Cecil also served in the U.S. Army as a heavy truck driver and mechanic from 1945 – 1949 earning the Army of Occupation (Germany) medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
Cecil met the love of his life Judith Jennings, and married on June 27, 1953 in Fort Dick, California. They were together until her death on June 15, 2015.
After the war, Cecil returned to Northern California where he began to apply his considerable mechanical intellect to develop a constantly increasing range of trade skills. Working in Northern California’s thriving forest products industry of the 1950s & 1960s, he began as a Lumberjack logging redwood, and moved up through numerous positions with various concerns eventually earning Journeyman credentials as both a Millwright and Electrician. It was during this time that Cecil attended night school to complete his GED which was important to him having been unable to attend high school during his formative years. Throughout subsequent positions with various employers, Cecil was always expanding his knowledge base by completing various correspondence courses and equipment specific training that employers wanted to send him through, never once turning an opportunity down.
In 1972, Cecil and Judy left Crescent City, California and moved to St. Helens where Cecil was employed as an electrician with Crown Zellerbach Corporation at their Columbia City, Oregon sawmill. He continued to expand his skills through working with various companies and holding several titles. Finally, in 1987 Cecil joined Boise Cascade at their St. Helens paper mill facility as an electrician where he retired in 1996.
In his retirement, Cecil enjoyed traveling, home improvement projects and was always willing to help provide a thoughtful and creative solution to a particular problem put before him, which there were many over the years, be it brought by one of his kids, a neighbor, or a friend in need who asked; if you were lucky enough to have Cecil helping you he would always see it through till the job was done right. Throughout his life, Cecil was first and foremost a family man who was always a Dad to his children and a committed husband for almost 62 years. He was a member of St. Helens Community Bible Church, St. Helens Elk Lodge #1999, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Post 42.
Cecil is survived by his four children, Kathlene Clemmons (Kaiserslautern, Germany), Rebecca Emme (St. Helens, Oregon), Cecil “Bud” Mayers (Seattle, Washington) and Michael Mayers (Sacramento, California). He has three grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Cecil will be interned with his wife, Judy, at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. Cecil’s children will host an open house at the Olde School located at 251 St. Helens Street in St. Helens from 4pm to 6pm on Friday evening, September 23, and would appreciate all who feel inclined to stop by and share a memory and let us thank you for being a part of his life for the past 46 years in St Helens.
Remembrances can be made on behalf of Cecil to the American Legion Post 42, P.O. Box 16, St. Helens, OR, 97051.
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