Rodney Bruce Mayfield, 79, Overland Park, Kansas passed away peacefully with his family by his side on August 11, 2018.    Rod was born at home on December 16, 1938 in the small town of Everton, Missouri to Albert Rozelle Mayfield and Ruth Margaret (Berry) Mayfield (later Hoover.)  Rod attended Everton High School and later graduated from Omaha Technical High School, Omaha, Nebraska.   In Omaha, Rod met his wife of 57 years, Mary Katherine Walsh of Omaha, Nebraska, and they were married on September 21, 1957. 

            Without the aid of a formal education, Rod consistently demonstrated technical insight, entrepreneurial creativity, and a gift for rallying people to a common goal. 

Rod held a real estate broker’s license while also being active as a licensed insurance agent and, for a period of time, was also a state licensed private investigator.  As a lifelong creative entrepreneur, he was awarded a patent in 2002 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (No. 6,491,387). He started as many as a dozen business ventures in such diverse areas as molded decorative candle making, real estate partnerships, fiberglass hog house design, ozone detection products, remanufacture of inkjet/toner cartridges and custom-made medical therapy equipment and actively supported Mary’s passion for art.  Rod had a talent for constantly thinking out of the box and gift for leading and mentoring his team of employees.

Concurrent with his extensive entrepreneurial interests he had a successful career spanning 36 years with the Bendix Corporation (later AlliedSignal then Honeywell) retiring as a Senior Engineering Technologist in the materials lab where he formulated plastics, foams and rubbers for use in the nuclear weapons industry as a contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission.

He was proud to have been a fourth generation and 58-year member of the Masonic Lodge A.F & A.M. with dual memberships at Ben Hur Masonic Lodge #322 as well as Overland Park Lodge #436 where his son and grandson are also members.  He was a 35-year member of the Scottish Rite and Abdallah Shrine Temple. 

“Papa” will be remembered for his stories and a quick wit; his “old Indian tricks;” a love of deviled eggs, beans and cornbread and almost any kind of homemade pie.  He enjoyed camping with his family and traveling internationally with his wife to Italy, England, Scotland and Ireland.  He claimed to have never been beaten at checkers.

Rod was preceded in death by his wife (January 13, 2015), his parents and his brother Donald Lee Mayfield of Ashgrove, Missouri.  Rod is survived by his sister Jackie (Mayfield) Fiala (Jim) of Jerome, ID, his brother Richard Alan Mayfield of Hacienda Heights, CA, his two children Margaret Ann “Peggy” (Mayfield) Boylan (William) of Overland Park, KS and Bruce DeWitt Mayfield (Elizabeth) of Prairie Village, KS.   Rod’s five grandchildren include Matthew William Boylan, MD (Mariola) and their two children (great-grandchildren) Zuzanna Mia Boylan and Adelle Veronica Boylan of San Antonio, TX; Mary Margaret “Molly” (Boylan) Libera, JD (Michael) of San Francisco, CA; Dewitt “Patrick” Mayfield, JD, Emily Caroline Mayfield and Alexander Robert Mayfield all of Prairie Village, KS.  Rod also leaves behind many special friendships among whom are his dear friend, Marie Cossey, neighbors Merle and Mary Lickteig, friend Doyle Dunkenson and his coffee club gang.

Funeral Services will be held at St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church, 6630 Nall Ave., Mission, KS on August 20, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.  Visitation and Celebration of Life Reception will be held immediately following the service at the church.  Rod’s cremated ashes will be interred alongside his wife, Mary at the Church.

Donations may be made in Rod’s memory to the Kansas Masonic Foundation, 2909 SW Maupin Ln., Topeka, KS 66614, https://kansasmasonic.foundation/donate.