Rusby Mayfield

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Rusby "Junior" Mayfield, 60, of Marble Hill died unexpectedly Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, at Saint Francis Medical Center.

He was born June 28, 1952, at Cape Girardeau, the son of Rusby and Idell Long Mayfield.

Junior was a graduate of Woodland High School. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1972 and served at Fort Sill, Okla., and in Germany. He continued military service in the Missouri Army National Guard.

On Oct. 14, 1978, he married LaDonna Godwin at Scopus United Methodist Church at Scopus, Mo.

He and LaDonna made their home in Bollinger County, south of Marble Hill. He worked at Procter & Gamble for 28 and a half years and drove the school bus for Woodland schools. He was a member at Point Pleasant General Baptist Church and VFW Post 5900.

Junior re-enlisted in the National Guard in 1984 and served until 1991, and later from 2000 to 2012. He was deployed to the U.S. Winter Olympics in 2002 where he worked in security at Salt Lake City.

Following desert training at Fort Irwin, he served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 with B Co. 1140th Eng. Battalion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with his son Garrett. He was deployed to New Orleans in 2005 for Hurricane Katrina relief service. Other deployments were in support of humanitarian missions in Panama and Honduras, and during state emergency duties of floods and tornadoes.

He is survived by his wife; two sons, Matthew Mayfield and Garrett Mayfield, both of Cape Girardeau; two daughters, Lori Shipley of Marble Hill and Michelle Wegner of Perkinston, Miss.; eight grandchildren, Sammy Kinder, Bailey Jones, Trenton Jones, Hannah Wegner, Trey Wegner, Keshia Sitze, Jessica Shipley and Brandon Shipley; three great-grandchildren, Kayli, Alyssa and Brooklyn; and three brothers, Larry (Barbara) Mayfield and Gene (Jeannie) Mayfield, both of Marble Hill, and Gary (MaryLee) Mayfield of Osage Beach, Mo.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Ruth Ann; and a great granddaughter, Rylee Sue.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Terry Hanners officiating.

Burial with military honors will be in Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery near Marble Hill.