Gloria Dean Mayfield

Celebration of Gloria Livingston Mayfield Gloria Livingston Mayfield was born in Camden, Arkansas, on April 7, 1946. She was the daughter of the late Sherman Sr. and late Bertha Livingston. Gloria was preceded in death by her brother Sherman, Jr., and sister Mae Frances Dixon. Gloria accepted Christ at an early age. She was active in church and remained active in every community where she resided. She worked alongside Mayfield as they were Sunday school leaders in the Children's Department at St. Stephen Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO. She later became an active member of Shadowbrook Baptist Church, Suwanee, GA, where her administrative skills were valued, and she assisted the executive staff on various projects. Gloria was an outstanding student. She graduated from Lafayette High School at the age of fifteen. At high school reunions, there are stories about when she was in middle school; the high school teachers would call her up to their rooms to show their students how to solve math problems their students could not solve. Gloria graduated Summa Cum Laude from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She married Airman William Walker shortly after high school, and their son Darryl D. Walker was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Walkers later settled in San Francisco, CA, where Gloria's first job was with the US Postal Service. This job was not a good match for her because Gloria's work ethic would not allow her to be content with mediocrity of any kind, in the workplace. While in the San Francisco area, she later met and married William G. Mayfield. Her work with the post office ended, when Mayfield got a position at Livingstone College, and the family relocated to North Carolina. While at Livingstone, she was appointed to the bookstore manager position and subsequently brought the bookstore from a deficit in the college's budget to profitability. When Mayfield's office moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, Gloria took a new position in the business office at Fayetteville State University. She managed the travel budgets, and during her 17-year tenure there, she never had an audit exception in the travel budget area. Steadily on the move, joining Mayfield in the Kansas City area, Gloria took a position with the Kansas Department of Social Rehabilitation and was later elevated to an EEO officer. While in that position, she brought equity to the staffing of the Kansas City Regional Office by improving the diversification of the hiring and selection practices. They could no longer say they could not find qualified minority personnel. Gloria became the expert in developing hiring packages and was in demand across Kansas. She initiated an annual project called "Fun in the Sun." Mrs. Mayfield brought in world-class speakers and jazz musicians. Food was served picnic style. Everybody wanted to work with her whenever she did a project because she made assignments and let staff use their creativity to execute their task. Gloria retired after 28 years of state government service with Kansas. One of Gloria's favorite pastimes to which she was deeply devoted was her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. membership. She gave her service, time, talent, and resources to this organization. Gloria was very instrumental in chartering a new chapter, Upsilon Rho Omega Chapter, of Overland Park, Kansas. The first planning meeting for the chapter was held at Gloria's home in 1996. Gloria was the chapter's first financial officer (treasurer/tamiochous). She continued her service with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., by joining Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter of Lawrenceville, GA. She was very active in the chapter and sought to impact and facilitate the chapter's efforts to award scholarships to deserving students, as Gloria was a lifelong learner. After a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Gloria succumbed to complications with pneumonia on December 30, 2023. Gloria leaves to cherish her memories: Her husband William Mayfield of Grayson, GA; son Darryl Walker (Wanda) of Snellville, GA; son Edward Rodriguez (Lizette) of Sarasota, Fl , daughter Odetta Rodriguez-Oliver of Hoschton, GA; sister-in-law Pearl Livingston of Camden, AR, five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Gloria Dean Mayfield, 77, of Grayson, GA passed on Saturday, December 30, 2023. Celebration of Life Services will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024 10:30 AM at our Gwinnett Chapel 914 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2024 from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM at our Gwinnett Chapel 914 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Interment is private. Please express your condolences here on our website. Services entrusted to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home, Gwinnett Chapel 914 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Celebration of Life Services for Gloria Dean Mayfield will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024 at 10:30AM. These services will be recorded and streamed live. If the event is interrupted at any time due to technical issues, the entire event will be uploaded and available to view later in the day. Please copy and paste the link to share, or simply click on the link to view the event. https://vimeo.com/event/4005343

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Gloria Dean Mayfield

April 7, 1946 - December 30, 2023