Douglas Mayo

Doug died May 6 while residing in Richfield, Minnesota. Previously he was a long-term resident of Edina. While he was born in Minneapolis on February 29, 1944-yes, a leap-year baby-he was raised in Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald S. Mayo and Mary-Louise Harrington Mayo. He's survived by his wife, Susan Long; son Sean Mayo (whom he referred to as "one perfect boy"); two older brothers and their wives: John and Sylvia and Tony and Holly; daughter-in-law, SeHee Kim; grandson, Asher Mayo; stepmother, Claride Walters Mayo; and three stepbrothers and their wives: Stefan Walters, Mark and Vera Walters, and David and Lynn Walters.

Doug graduated from Edina-Morningside High School in 1962 and received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota and Ohio University. In late 1967 he began service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho. It was there that he began a lifetime of volunteerism. Doug served on several boards for non-profits that provided services that were near and dear to him: most notably 20 years on the Board of Management of YMCA Camp Warren, including three years as board chair; 25 years for Minnesota River Valley Audubon chapter, including serving as president, vice-president and treasurer; Audubon Center of the North Woods, director and treasurer; the Edina Housing Foundation, vice-president and secretary/treasurer; and numerous small housing foundations.

Doug retired in 2006 after thirty-four years in real estate finance and development. During his career he was employed at the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he administered various federal housing programs; Rothschild Financial Corporation, a St. Paul-based commercial real estate lender; Metropolitan Federal Bank, where he ran the construction lending division; and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where he managed the dissolution of failed saving and loan banks. The last twelve years he worked for CommonBond Communities, a non-profit provider of affordable housing, where he directed a staff that developed and acquired thousands of units of affordable housing throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

He married Susan Long, the love of his life, whom he met in Chicago several months after returning from Lesotho. They recently celebrated their fifty-first wedding anniversary. Their son, Sean, was born in 1980.

In retirement, Doug became an avid birder, a hobby that took him throughout North America and elsewhere in the world. He also indulged in gardening, his other pastime. Susan and Doug claimed that their gardens were a gift to their neighbors. He continued his interest in international affairs through the Minnesota International Center's Great Decisions discussion group and travel throughout the world, with Mexico, Ecuador, Spain and South Africa being among his favorite adventures. Doug frequently expressed that his life had been wonderful, but that he would miss the beauty of both nature and love.

A gathering of friends and family will be planned for July in order to share memories and stories.