Mary Jane Mayo

Mary Jane Mayo was born Nov. 2, 1936 near Camden, TN to Sanford and Iola (Kennon) Bivens. She passed away peacefully at home in College Station, TX on Jan. 1, 2025, at the age of 88.

Jane and identical twin Jean were born in the same cabin that their father was born in. Jane was a little smaller than Jean, weighing less than 4 pounds, and she had to be fed with an eye dropper. Jane and Jean grew up doing everything together. During WW2, the Bivens family lived in a few different towns, including Columbia, SC and Parsons, TN. Sanford, mostly known as ‘Chick’, worked as a surveyor for TVA and helped create coastal maps in Texas and South Carolina during the war. After the war he built a new home on their land near Camden, TN. Jean and Jane graduated from Camden high school in 1955, and then attended Austin Peay College together for one year before moving to Nashville.

Jane met David Mayo from Texas, who was working for his uncle on the city airport construction project. They married in Nashville on March 21, 1958. Jean had married an indirect relative and fellow construction worker of David. David and Jane’s first home was in the Dickerson Pike Trailer Park, where their neighbors included several Opry performers and musicians. Jane worked as a secretary in the airport construction office until their son Kim David was born in 1959.

David had been drafted into the Army and was stationed at Ft. Dix, NJ. Jane and Kim moved back home to Camden until David was discharged in 1960. He brought his family to Bryan/College Station where he re-enrolled at A&M College to finish his engineering degree. Jane worked as a secretary at A&M and they lived in a duplex on North Avenue in Bryan. David worked part-time jobs, including land surveying for civil engineering professor Joe Orr. In 1963, they incorporated the surveying business, and it became David’s full-time job. Henry was also born that year, followed by Sandy in 1965. Jane became a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, until all three kids were in school.

In 1968, David and Jane moved into their new home on Carter Lake near College Station. In the early 1970s, Jane worked briefly as a part-time secretary for W.D. Fitch, one of David’s primary clients. Jane was always busy, joining a bowling team, sewing, gardening, painting ceramics, and learning macramé, cake decorating, and she even took community education classes on photography and woodworking. She was active with Sandy’s Girl Scout troop and also with the Harvey area Home Demonstration Club which transitioned into the Fun & Fellowship Club. She made many lifelong friends and was always helping them with anything they needed. Jane was a treasured, daily friend and caregiver to several of her aging friends and neighbors, such as Annie McCown, who was their next door neighbor on North Avenue when Kim was a baby and happened to be from David’s hometown of Kerens, TX. 

Each summer, Jane and Jean took their kids for a weeklong visit with family in Tennessee and Kentucky. The trips were a source of many great family memories and solidified a loving relationship with the extended Bivens and Kennon families. In the 1980s, Jane also enjoyed travels to London, Paris and Cancun with family and friends.

When their Dad passed away in 1993, Jane and Jean brought their Mom to Texas to care for her few needs. “Mama Bivens” became part of Jane’s social circle in College Station, as well as Jean’s in Houston, and their grandkids got to spend much more time with their great-grandmother before she passed away at the age of 102 in 2008.

Jane and David enjoyed ten more years of good health together, before his Alzheimer’s disease became apparent. Jane also helped Jean some with her health issues and then lost both sisters in the spring of 2017. Taking care of David and their home wore Jane down and she began having health issues. He passed away in 2022 and she lived alone for the first time in her life. She always kept a calendar nearby with everyone’s birthday marked. Although she became quite deaf, her eyesight was better than most anyone and she had a very good memory. She enjoyed keeping up with friends and relatives over the phone. After enjoying her 88th birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas with all of her children and many grandchildren, her health declined rapidly in the final few days of 2024. God called Jane home just before midnight on New Years Day. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband David, sisters Camilla Meador and Jean Eppler, and brothers-in-law John Meador, Cecil Ebersold and Ted Mayo. 

Jane is survived by her three children, Kim (Susan) Mayo of Groesbeck, Henry (Sandra) Mayo of College Station and Sandy (John) Thoede of Houston. Grandchildren are Cassie (Aaron) Dieudonne of Houston, Zack and Randa Shriver of Groesbeck, Sarah (Brad) Wines of West, John Mayo of Austin, Brian and John Thoede of Houston. Great-Grandchildren are Vance and Sidney Dieudonne, Kelsi and Corleigh Shriver, Emalynn Shriver, Brayden and Brianna Wines. She is also survived by her brother John (Beverly) Bivens of Germantown, TN and sisters-in-law Suzanne Ebersold of Gallatin, TN, Pat Mayo of Fairfield, Krystal (David) Thorn of Carlos, Sarah (Randy) Coker of College Station and numerous nieces and nephews. She was a ‘second Mom’ to her twin Jean’s daughter, Jennifer (Donnie) White.

Jane will be laid to rest next to David in the Aggie Field of Honor.