Richard Edward (Rick) Mayfield, 77, of Tennessee, IL, left this earthly orb on April 20, 2026. Born on January 25, 1949, in Topeka, KS, to Richard “Dick” Mayfield and Refa (Hopkins) Mayfield Sawyers, the family soon moved to Miami, OK. There he quickly found himself the eldest of five, all 5 years of age and under.

He attended Miami and Fairland schools. In high school, he was an avid sportsman playing football, basketball, running track and playing saxophone during football halftimes. After graduating from Fairland High School, Richard volunteered for service in the U. S. Navy from 1967 to 1971. He was stationed in Memphis when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated which affected him greatly. His next major stations were Cubi Point, the Philippines, and on the USS Kitty Hawk.

Following his Navy service, he began working as a plumber and added a wife, Susan Bauer of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, and two children, Tucker and Janna, to the family. Plumbing was a good job, but adventure was more thrilling. Since he and his brother Roger spent many high school summers haying for local farmers, he decided trying his hand at harvesting wheat. He worked on crews for a few summers from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. His descriptions of driving combines on one-lane bridges, working from sunup to sundown, and the beautiful scenery impressed many. But he let everyone know he got tired of bologna sandwiches.

When Janna was young, they both auditioned for parts in The Miracle Worker at the Miami Little Theater. She was chosen to play Helen Keller and he to play Helen’s father, Captain Arthur Keller. The acting bug bit and continued to bite with plays in Miami, and a summer in the “Trail of Tears” drama in Talequah, OK. His great-aunt Alma asked him if he was going die with or without a degree. After separating from Susan, he and the children headed to Durant, OK, graduating with a B. A. degree in Theater from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. If he had one degree, he could go for two. He graduated with an M.F.A. from Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL in 1996. He decided small town life was good, but the children would soon be off to college.

When 5 years old, Richard met a little girl in Sunday School whose family had just moved from northern Michigan. At age 6, he told his mom he was going to marry her. At 19, he informed the now college student he changed his mind. Then at 25, he changed it back and actually proposed. Her answer was a definite NO! However, she made a stipulation that if he ever got his act together to call her. Twenty-two years later, after finishing his M.F.A., it was time to make that call. After almost daily phone calls and some face-to-face meetings, he asked again and she said YES! She knew she’d be the one making the bigger changes, like ending a 27 year teaching position and moving from Kansas City, her home since she was 15 years old. Richard had no desire to live in “the city,” but thought he could convince her to move to Wyoming. Remember the wheat harvest adventures? She was smart though and showed him the movie Heartland with Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell. That movie quickly changed his mind. He and Diane Doty married on August 9,1997, in Kansas City.

Richard believed he was put here on earth to help others, especially with his hands. Besides being a plumber, he was also an electrician, carpenter, roofer, painter, and a great handyman for the older ladies in town. He was known for his entertaining stories which he loved to tell. He continued acting with a local theater company in Illinois and doing one-man sets for friends, groups and his church.

His passions included fishing, reading, and buying new tools whether he already had them or not. His wife figures there’s enough to open her own small hardware store. Eating either Chinese or Mexican food was another love. Yummy Chen’s in Macomb and Los Charros in both Macomb and Carthage will miss him greatly. Upon retirement, he gained his first pacemaker and took over the cooking, not baking nor grilling or washing dishes, but everything else in the kitchen. Oh, giving his opinions was also considered a time-honored tradition. Family and friends weren’t so sure.

Being with family was his greatest joy: attending Thanksgiving gatherings at his sister Pam’s home in Kansas City, traveling to Texas for college graduations, the children’s weddings, then grandbaby births and to Northeastern Oklahoma and Iowa for in-laws’ gatherings. Attending family funerals brought sadness, however much joy and laughter were also shared.

Richard is survived by Diane, his wife of 29 years, son Tucker and wife Tasha Mayfield, daughter Janna Alex, grandchildren Payton Renee, Pryce Edward, and Pruitt William Mayfield, Emma Lee and Miles Anthony Alex, his mother Refa Sawyers, sister Delaina Sawyers, brother-in-law Frank Chock and many nieces and nephews with some great and even a few great-great ones.

He was predeceased by his father Dick Mayfield, brothers Paul and Roger, and sister Pamela, granddaughter Kendall Pierce, stepfather Malcolm Sawyers, parents-in-law Vera and Harry Doty, sisters-in-law Nancy Gorden, Darlene Maxson Wren, brothers-in-law Jerry Gorden, Kenny Wren, and niece Shelly Ann Gorden.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Legacy Event Center, 599 W. 39th St., Grove, OK, 74344, on Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 1:30 to 3:30. Light refreshments will be provided. Come as you are and share a story about Richard.