Allen Mayhew was born Allen Lavelle Hellensmith to Lavelle and Margaret Hellensmith on May 2, 1944 in Dodge City, Kansas. He was raised by his mother and his stepfather, Frank Mayhew, whose last name he took. He went to be with his Lord God Almighty on August 27, 2019, after a lengthy cancer battle.
He lived his 75 years in a good, full, blessed way. Having come to know and love God, he pursued love of God in his heart as a man of resolute, determined, and unwavering faith. He was kind to everyone he met. His best friends knew him as a friend they could always trust. Everyone who knew Allen heard all about his two sons, Mark and Bryan, of whom he was so proud, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren.
He joined the Army after high school, having been encouraged by his Uncle Allen, whom he was named after. He had a total of 10 years active service. His last duty was as Chief Warrant Officer in Fort Hood, TX, where he completely revamped the maintenance and repair department of critical electronic and communications equipment for the 2nd Armored Division. He also served 2 years in Germany and participated in French Commando training.
After serving in the Army, his electronic warfare and other military experiences led him to a position in the Department of Defense for 23 years working on special programs. He received the Civilian Career Service Award from the Defense Contract Management Agency for his significant contributions and dedication. Some programs he worked on were long range missiles, F16, EA6B, and EF111 fighter aircraft, airborne and submarine counter measures systems, space launch vehicles, and
special ops.
He also earned a BS in Human Resources and worked as a Human Resource Manager. Something that was particularly important to him was working at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission for those in recovery. For 15 years he taught classes on workplace skills, including preparing resumes and practicing for interviews. Many students thanked him for his straightforward logical advice which they followed after completion of their stays at the Rescue Mission and were then able to be successful.
Allen is survived by his loving wife, Theresa Mayhew; his older brother Henry (and Deborah) Mayhew; his younger sister Nancy (and Brian) Weirum; his older son Mark Mayhew; his younger son Bryan (and Mechell) Mayhew; his nieces and nephew Vivian (and Marc) Zachary, Valerie (and Matthew Greenberg) Mayhew, Brent (and Sheri) Mayhew, and Stacy (and Will) Evett-Miller; his great nephew and nieces, Joel, Beatrix, Faith, Josephine, Lexi, Karlie, Jackie, and Hazel; his grandchildren Luke Mayhew, Chase (and Santana) Mayhew, Chelsea (and Jordan) Luckett; his great grandson Braelyn Mayhew and great granddaughter Elliyanah Mayhew.
Al fought the good fight of faith, ran the race, and finished the course strong! He will be forever in our hearts; his kind loving ways, his gentle smile, his encouraging words, the inspiration of his steadfast faith, and his gracious heart!
