Obituary for Mark Wayne (Leming) Mayfield

~February 15, 1955 – October 23, 2025~

Mark was born in the early hours of the morning of February 15, 1955, at Memorial Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, to Leonard and Constance Leming. He was the youngest of their 6 children. His parents divorced when he was five years old. Mark spent his childhood in Phoenix, where his mother and stepfather, Jim, owned and ran a restaurant, bar, and service station. Guests who stopped in to get breakfast at the family-owned restaurant enjoyed watching him as a preteen, helping his older brother Gary run the busy Saturday morning breakfast grill.

Mark was an entrepreneur from an early age, learning a solid work ethic. We still have the shoeshine box he used when he was a kid to earn extra dollars. His teachers recognized his natural gift for math, and he was known even then for his quick mind and his love of "wheeling and dealing." Because his parents were so busy running their businesses, he grew up without a lot of supervision or help with schoolwork. His older sister, Deanna, did her best to provide some guidance, but by the time he turned thirteen, he was using his above-average business skills in ways that got him into trouble. When the police caught him with a shed of stolen bikes, including the one he was riding, which happened to be the police officer's son's bike, he was given the choice by the presiding judge to either be sent to juvenile detention or to a reform school for boys. He chose the latter and spent 2 years at Morris School for Boys, run by the Franciscan Brothers in Searcy, Arkansas. Those two years were good in many ways and provided a structured, disciplined environment for him. Because of his experience in the kitchen of his parents' restaurant, he was recruited by Father Leo and excelled as the assistant school baker.

After returning home in 1970 at the age of 15, he chose to take the name of his stepfather, James O. Mayfield, who had no biological son of his own. Soon after this, he got a job working at the local grocery store as a box boy, then a cashier, and rapidly rose to the role of produce manager. He did so well at work that he quit school, never finishing 9th grade, and set off to California with big dreams. He got a job and a place to live the first week he arrived. While in the greater LA area, he made lifelong friends with David (Salazar), Sunny, and Mel Harker. They lived in a cabin on Mount Baldy for a time, where Mark learned to play the guitar and made treasured memories with them.

At about the age of 17, he survived a serious motorcycle accident, sustaining head and abdominal injuries from which he was not expected to live, but he recovered remarkably well with gratitude for a second chance at life. During this time, he had a powerful encounter with God that helped him, for the first time, to understand that there is nothing to fear from death if things are right with our Creator.

Shortly after this, he met his first wife, Jan Sachs, who, despite their marriage failing, taught him some moral ethics and introduced him to new traditions and values. After going to the School of Judaism and going through their baptism ritual, he was trained to become a successful produce buyer/supervisor of a large chain store in the LA area. He was able to calculate numbers and prices in his head faster than a calculator. One of his proudest accomplishments was breaking out on his own with his sister, Deanna, to run "Sister Brother Produce." He helped her rebuild after a difficult season of her life. He gained valuable experience as a supportive uncle to his two nieces, DeeDee and Rhonda, as they entered their teen years.

He was introduced to the game of golf in his late 20s, and this quickly became a passion. He was named "Most Improved Player" his first year, and by 1984, he was a club champion and won the gold medal for a fundraiser, "Golf for the Olympics," beating out all the other club champions in Southern California. He was the creative initiator of "The First Tee," a program focused on teaching youth the game and rules of golf, which is now overseen by the PGA. He loved sharing his passion and skill for golf and was very proud of "his boys" (especially Steve Tarkon, Taylor Hopkins, and Tyler Aldridge), who continue to play and teach golf professionally and carry on his dreams. He played with quite a few famous people and often spoke of the privilege of playing a couple rounds with Jack Nicholas. In 1990, when at the peak of his golf game and physical performance, including having a sponsor for going professional, he was T-boned while going through a green light at an intersection. He sustained a fractured cervical spine and was plagued with injury-related pain symptoms for the rest of his life. Despite his injuries, he continued to enjoy playing golf, never losing his competitive spirit. He also enjoyed fishing and boating, but even this became more difficult. When he no longer could play on the golf courses, he set up a golf simulator in his "man cave" at home.

In 1994, his older brother, Butch, developed an aggressive form of cancer. Mark dropped everything, including a failed marriage with Jan, and moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho, to spend the last weeks with him. He and his brother Gary worked for their oldest brother, Leonard, who had a catering business there. Mark later relocated to the Boise area, working in car sales for various dealerships. Ever the problem solver and creative thinker, he was "Captain Credit," helping people finance their vehicles.

In 1997, through a dating service called "Perfect Match," he met the love of his life, Marjorie (better known as Margie). He was a brave man to step into the role of parenting two girls entering their teens. Having no children of his own, he fully embraced this role and loved Elizabeth and Monica as his own. Never having the experience of having little ones, Mark especially enjoyed the entrance of his first grandchild, Emily, and watching her grow.

After studying and attending the Nampa Seventh-Day Adventist Church, he was baptized a year later by his father-in-law, Donald E. Mansell, Sr. In 1999 he branched out to run his own car dealership, "Mayfield Motors." After the financial crunch of 2008, he worked in marketing and sales until 2011, when his physical disabilities forced him to retire early. He then devoted himself to providing care to his father-in-law, Don. Mark and Margie moved from their home in Nampa to Middleton in 2011, caring for Don until Don passed in 2018.

Wanting to relocate to a less congested area, they moved to Wilder in 2020. True to his extrovert and social nature, he met all his neighbors before he even moved into the neighborhood. He always dreamed big, so he built a large greenhouse and raised beds on their property for gardening, a hobby he enjoyed sharing with Margie. He loved tremendously his role as "Papa Mark" to his eight grandchildren.

Mark's health deteriorated significantly after the move, including a major heart attack, seizure episodes, and unsuccessful treatment for kidney cancer. In March of this year, he opted to transition to hospice and bravely dealt with severe, chronic pain for the next half year. Many times, over his last years, he mentioned that no matter how much he suffered, he was going to keep loving God and not let the devil win. His hope and endurance were greatly tested. About a month before Mark passed, he shared that he had woken up to the presence of Jesus sitting directly in front of him, smiling and conveying a sense of love and reassurance that felt so real, he knew it wasn't a dream. Shortly before he died, he sustained a fall at home and was in tremendous pain, but his wish was to remain at home surrounded by family when he passed, and that wish was fulfilled. About three days later, he peacefully fell asleep in Jesus in the early hours of the morning, October 23.

What a precious Savior we have who brings the comfort and reassurance that He is with us through our difficulties and promises a better life without traces of sin or suffering.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15.

Mark is survived by his loving wife, Margie; daughter Elizabeth Phillips (Hayden Phillips); daughter Monica Lynn (Daniel Lynn); brother Gary Leming; sister Donna Glison; sister Deanna Maxwell (Mike Yeager); and grandchildren Emily Whittenberg, Ezekiel Phillips, Boaz Phillips, Josiah Phillips, Eliana Phillips, Keith Lynn, Colton Lynn, and Everly Lynn.

Mark's memorial will be held at the Garnet Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Wilder, Idaho, on December 13, 2025, at 4 pm. There will not be a graveside service. Mark wished to be cremated, and his ashes will be inurned at a later date.