John Mays

John Warren Mays
Sept 10, 1943 - March 29, 2020
Remembering John Mays and The Casa Madrona Hotel, Sausalito
John Warren Mays was born in Lyons Kansas and came to Sausalito in 1971 where he was stationed at Fort Baker with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from his tiny office in the barracks. He couldn't believe his luck and his luck paired with hard work and persistence continued throughout his life. Earning his Bachelors in political science from Kansas University where he was president of his class, he went on to The University of Texas at Austin where he earned his law degree. He was drafted by the US Army in 1969 right out of law school and spent a year prosecuting war crimes in Vietnam where he received a bronze medal. Once in Sausalito he practiced law in San Francisco, but is best known for the restoration and preservation of Casa Madrona Hotel in Sausalito.

Casa Madrona, built in 1895, had a colorful succession of proprietors and guests. There was a magical quality about the hotel and some think it was haunted. Proprietor John Mays acquired the property in 1976 in an estate sale, much to his surprise as he thought that he bid too low. He faced daunting challenges in restoring the century old Victorian hotel which was slipping down the hillside. In remembering those first years, John said "Most of the rooms had a musty old smell to them…everything had been painted this sour army green and there was all this French Provincial furniture with imitation gold leaf. We scraped the wall in the hallway and put up bright Laura Ashley wallpaper which we rolled on ourselves. I went to auctions and replaced the furniture room by room." The hard work was rewarded when in 1980, the Casa Madrona was placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

John then set about the task of buttressing up the unstable hillside below the old Victorian Hotel, and came up with the idea of having rooms stepped up the hillside like little cottages, tying them in with the old hotel at the top.It was a monumental task that involved city approval and installing 110 caissons, six levels of concrete and 40,000 pounds of steel. The entrance of the hotel was more of a cottage than a hotel, utterly charming and unique. He then hired the coordinator of the Marin Designers' Showcase to coordinate the work of 16 different artist/designers who were assigned "the dream come true" task of making each room unique and full of romance. Year after year guests would book the same special room from that time on as the Casa Madrona became a destination hotel hosting many celebrities and stars such as Dolly Parton, Cher and Robert Redford.

John Mays' Easter Brunch at Mikayla restaurant was a lavish buffet of delicious breakfast and luncheon items and was booked for months ahead. Guests would come dressed in Easter attire, women and girls with their Easter hats and gloves and the men wearing colorful ties and jackets. An Easter bunny greeted you at the entrance with a basket of chocolate Easter eggs. It was a great celebration of Spring for the local community and guests of the hotel.
John married Ramona Lashley and they had a beautiful daughter Mikayla. He later christened the Casa Madrona Restaurant with the name Mikayla and hired his dear friend Laurel Burch, a renown artist, to help renovate the restaurant. Laurel painted a beautiful and colorful mural at the entrance titled "The Legend of Mikayla." Many people in Marin and throughout the Bay Area have been married at Mikayla with a reception out on the deck as it was a sought out wedding spot with a sweeping view of Richardson Bay and SF skyline.

John sold the hotel after he purchased the Village Fair next door and developed his exit strategy. He purchased a second home in the Sierra Foothills and joined Winchester Golf and Country Club.

John Mays also owned a happening restaurant in the early 90's called Sol Y Luna near the Embarcadero which featured Spanish Tapas and Flamenco guitarists and dancers. Herb Caen picked up a misspelled advertisement in the Chronicle that featured Topless and Flamenco Dancers at Sol Y Luna and teased John mercilessly in his column. With all the glamour that surrounded John Mays he was just a "good old boy" from Kansas who, unlike Dorothy, never went back home except to visit his parents who lived into their late 80's and 90's.

John had a long battle with cancer which baffled his medical team from UCSF and SF-VA. When diagnosed with advanced cancer his prognosis was two years, but he lived 25 years longer playing many rounds of golf in Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii and mostly Olympic Club. "Golf was his passion, but Ramona was his fashion." He traveled and never said no to a party, gala or concert. He was a member of S.F. Jazz and he was a great dancer taught by his two older sisters Kala and Gloria, when he was in high school. John Mays loved his life and once said, "I am more interested in living well, than dying well." His philanthropy included local and international organizations from Cancer Research, Marine Life and Wildlife conservation projects in Africa and the Amazon. For over a decade, he was both a Director and then Board President of the Center for Attitudinal Healing, now part of the global organization, Attitudinal Healing International. His generosity lives on with The Mays Family Charitable Fund, founded by he and his wife Ramona Mays.

John touched many lives with his kindness, generosity and integrity. He was a true gentleman and was loved by both men and women. His multitude of friends and loving family have been deeply saddened by this loss. A year has gone by since he passed, however his legacy lives on in his good deeds, great accomplishments and commitments and loyalty to friends. We all remember Mr. Casa Madrona and his lavish New Years Eve Parties! You are greatly missed by friends and family, forever amen.

*If you were married at Casa Madrona or attended a wedding during the 80's or 90's there, please email me as I would love to hear about it. Ramonalashley@icloud.com