Obituary

David A. Mayhall 1934—2020
David A. Mayhall passed away peacefully in his sleep in the evening of December 19, 2020 at the age of 86. He was born in 1934 in Milwaukee, WI. His family moved to Rockford, IL and he graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1952 and Rockford College in 1956. After serving in the U.S. Army, David returned to Rockford, where he met Louise Christenson. They were married in 1959, and celebrated 61 years of marriage.
David was employed by the Regal Oil Company and became the Vice President of the corporation. In 1969 the company was sold to Gulf Oil Corp. He began employment with the Barbara Olson Center of Hope, working with local industry to provide work for adults with disabilities. During the 30 years that he worked with mentally and physically disabled adults at the Center for Hope, his responsibilities included, Director of Manufacturing and Interim Director of the agency. David retired from the Center in 1999.
David was a long time member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford. He enjoyed golf, swimming and sailing. While attending the University of Hawaii as a young man, he became a member of the swim team. He was a life long dedicated swimmer. When David and Louise married, they talked about their life dreams and aspirations, with one of those dreams being designing their own home. They made a sketch for a home, which became the home they lived in for over 50 years. They built several additions to the house, the most recent being a studio for woodworking. David was a skilled woodworking and created beautiful furniture for family members. He enjoyed being a volunteer with the Cherry Valley Public Library for a number of years during retirement.
He is survived by his wife Louise and sons Christopher and Andrew Mayhall. He has surviving nephew and nieces, John, Dianne and Nancy Mayhall. As a dad, he enjoyed sharing about the successes of his sons. He showed his love and care for Louise in many ways, including expressing his joy for her artist skills and helping her with art exhibits.
David often remembered and talked about sailing, travels and friends. He was grateful in life for the shared moments with family and friends. "From stars to the stars.