Preston Brooks Mayson Jr.

Dr. Preston Brooks Mayson Jr., 76, of Roanoke, Va., soldier, physician, lawyer and artist, died on March 30, 2009, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sara Dudley Heaton Mayson, of Roanoke; two sons, Brooks Heaton Mayson, of Jamestown, N.C., and James Dudley Mayson, of Staunton, Va.; five grandchildren, Sara Kathryn Mayson, James Dudley Mayson Jr., Morgan Heaton Mayson, Chloe Elizabeth Mayson, and Emma Sophia Mayson; and two daughters-in-law, Millie Parks Mayson and Kelley White Mayson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Colonel and Mrs. Preston B. Mayson, and his brother, Colonel Elford Morgan Mayson. Dr. Mayson was born in Spartanburg, S.C. He was descended from early settlers of Virginia and South Carolina who fought in the Cherokee Wars and the American Revolutionary War. He was a graduate of the United States Military Academy; George Washington University School of Medicine, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society; and, Washington and Lee University School of Law.
His Army service included tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, the 25th Infantry Division, Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, Calif., Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Vietnam. He practiced radiology with Radiology Associates in Roanoke for 18 years, and, after receiving his law degree, he practiced law in Roanoke for nine years before retiring in 2000.
He was a member of Second Presbyterian Church and of many professional military, medical, and legal organizations. He was a workman who did not always follow expected conventions, but who tried to apply the guidance espoused in Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God," through his service to his country, his patients, and his clients. During his long careers and in retirement, he enjoyed painting oil landscapes, many of which hang in homes and businesses throughout the Roanoke Valley and in many southeastern states.
A memorial service will be held at Second Presbyterian Church on Thursday, April 2, 2009, at 1 p.m., with Dr. William R. Klein and L. Gerald Carter, CLP, officiating. The family will receive friends in Fellowship Hall following the service. Memorials may be made to Second Presbyterian Church Second Fund, 214 Mountain Ave., Roanoke, Va. 24016. Arrangements by Oakey's Roanoke Chapel, 540-982-2100.