Marcia Lynn Mays Obituary (1970 - 2018)

Marcia Lynn Mays, 48, of Normal, passed away at 11:32 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 15, 2018 at Calvary Baptist Church, Normal. The family will receive friends from 4-7 p.m. Friday, September 14, 2018 at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. Marcia and family had the most beautiful experience at Inheritance of Hope which helps families who are facing the loss of a parent. In lieu of flowers, the family would love for any memorials to be made to Inheritance of Hope so they can gift other families with the same experience. Marcia was born April 25, 1970 in Oregon, the daughter of Donald and Carol Grindley Dales. She married Jeffrey B. Mays on July 24, 1993, in Bloomington and he survives. Also surviving are her daughters, Emily Mays and Allison Mays, both at home; and her in-laws. She was preceded in death by her parents. In Jeff's words, "Marcia is truly the embodiment of humility. She never wanted attention from anyone. She just wanted the best for everyone else. She opened our home to anyone who would come." Friends remarked that it was clear that her love for Jeff, Emily and Ali had no bounds. That her faith in the Lord, her compassion, patience, her forgiveness and her ability to make you feel so loved were her greatest assets. We use the word aMAYSing to describe Marcia, but it doesn't even begin to describe her. Even enduring an eight-year battle with metastatic breast cancer, she fought with strength and dignity amidst great suffering. Marcia truly showed people how to live a life of purpose. She worked at Morton High School for 25 plus years as a special education teacher. Coworkers could not comment enough how much of a difference she made in her students' lives. She took so many coworkers under her wing to give them wisdom and guidance. Those coworkers became lifelong friends who were with her to the end. She was truly such a passionate person about each and every student and coworker. Marcia was married 25 years to Jeff and anyone who observed them knew they were each other's person. They left such a legacy of love. They embodied what it looks like to love in sickness and in health. All who observed their marriage were inspired on how to live a full life in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances. The girls were the light of her life. She did anything she could to help them grow into healthy, happy, compassionate women of faith and she surely accomplished that. Even in the midst of all her health concerns she helped the girls not miss out on anything in life. The girls have made many wonderful memories of Disney World, St. Louis and Chicago as a family as well as simple memories of baking with mom or going to the splash pad. She will be missed.