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John Mays of the Indiana Massey Collectors Association

I am sad to report that John Mays, of Onward, Indiana, has passed away.  John was a long time Massey collector and active member of the Indiana Massey Collectors Association, having served as a Board Member.

John has been cremated.  Visitation with family will be on Sunday, November 15th, from 1:00 - 5:00 PM at Onward Christian Church, 21 Oak Street , Onward, IN  46967.  There will be a memorial service on Monday at 10:00 am, also at the Onward Christian Church. 

I have not yet found or have had his obituary shared with me.  Once I do I will also share it here on the website.  John was a really good person, and will be missed.

JB

RE:John Mays of the Indiana Massey Collectors Association

Sorry this is a bit late, but I just received it today.

John Andrew Mays, 81, Peru, passed away peacefully from cancer on Nov. 11, 2015, at Blair Ridge Rehab Center in Peru.

He was born on the Fourth of July in 1934, in Cass County, to Olin Shelman and Thelma Louise (Foust) Mays.

Many friends knew John through his 40-year career in insurance sales, first with Prudential and later with Farm Bureau, where he was a Certified Life Underwriter. In earlier years, John served stateside in Texas in the Air Force as an airplane mechanic. He served toward the end of the Korean War and during peacetime, and he was honorably discharged in 1958. John also studied agriculture at Purdue University after his graduation in 1952 from Bunker Hill High School. Until his senior year, he had attended school in Onward.

John and Margaret Ann spent winters near Phoenix, Ariz., and summers in Peru. For many years, John was a member of Peru’s Kiwanis Club and Walton’s American Legion Post 418, and he served on the YMCA’s Board of Directors for 26 years, among other community activities. John was active in Peru’s First Christian Church, and the Onward Christian Church. He also sang in the church choir from age 16 and taught Sunday school for 10 years. John spent many years pursuing his love of tractors, particularly Massey-Harris tractors, by rebuilding, modifying and maintaining his own M-H tractors. His enthusiasm for M-H tractors included involvement with the Pioneer Power of North Central Indiana, the Indiana Massey Collectors group, and antique tractor shows.

John is survived by his wife of 47 years, Margaret Ann (Smith) Mays, his children Cynthia J. (Bradley) Stover, Greta J. (Robert) Satek, Andrea L. Mays (Craig Kling), Susan K. Mays (Stephen Day), Lee Ann (Greg) Sims, and Tom Garber. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Paul E. and Charles Mays; his sisters, Ellen Morris and Jane Osborne; sister-in-law, Bessie Marie Mays; brother-in-law Bill Morris; a niece, Sue Ellen (Morris) Branch; nephew, Michael Jay Morris; and a grandson, Evan Sims.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the Onward Christian Church, 21 Oak St, Onward, with military burial to follow at the Mays Cemetery near Onward.

Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the church.

Arrangements are entrusted to Flowers-Leedy Funeral Home in Peru.

The family asks that any donations be made to the First Christian Church of Peru, Indiana, www.FCCPeru.org or the Onward Christian Church of Onward, Indiana, www.OnwardChristianChurch.org.

You can also access his obituary online at:  
http://www.flowersleedyallen.com/obituaries/?id=203

Thanks,

John