Daniel Michael Mayton

Dan Mayton died the morning of March 6th at the age of 98. He was born on August 31,1925 in Akron, the son of Paul and Tessie Mayton.

His childhood was split between living in Akron and Atwater with his parents and seven siblings. He seemed to always prefer the country over city life. He attended East High School in Akron before serving in the US Army Air Corps as a corporal during WWII. He trained for all gunner positions on B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s. He also served as an MP near the end of his service. Following the war, Dan married Priscilla (Pat) Dean in 1947. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Hudson where Dan built his own house on nine acres and they raised their three sons. He worked for General Tire & Rubber Company for over four decades. After retiring, he moved to Atwater and the country life that he preferred. As a boy and young man, Dan was an avid hunter. While living on his family's farm in Atwater, he made sure the rabbits did not consume all the vegetables in their garden. Over the years he owned and trained several hunting dogs to assist him in hunting his favorite game, pheasants. He also enjoyed hunting deer during his retirement.

In his forties Dan became an accomplished fisherman for northern pike and walleyes. He fished most of the lakes in northeast Ohio that were stocked with walleye but his favorite times were his one or two week trips to Northern Ontario lakes where the walleye and northern pike fishing was superb. He'd load the station wagon or van to the roof with fishing and camping gear and hook up his boat and head north with one or two of his sons or friends in late spring and/or early fall each year throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. His favorite spot required him to take his loaded boat down six miles of creek, over three beaver dams, down a lake for eight miles to an island to set up camp. Fishing in the cold and crystal-clear water around the island started early and usually

resulted in a stringer full of everyone's limit of fish. He loved frying the fish in the evening while drinking his Molson's Golden Ale and talking about, of course, the bigger fish we'd catch tomorrow.

Dan had several other hobbies and interests. He always enjoyed growing and sharing a plentiful vegetable garden, always striving to have the first ripe tomato in town. For decades, he would make the trek to Columbus on every home game Saturday to see his Ohio State Buckeyes play football. Dan learned to knap flint and, as an active member of the Ohio Archaeological Society, enjoyed demonstrating and teaching the craft of making arrowheads and other points. His vast collection of clocks and watches was also a special interest.

Dan is preceded in death by his wife, Pat; his parents, Paul and Tessie; and his siblings, John, Paul, Elena, Andy, Dave, and Sam.

He is survived by his brother, Joe, and by his three sons (and their spouses), Dan (Andrea), Gary (Nora), and Kim (Jodie). He leaves eight grandchildren, Michael, Joey, Caitlin, ZhuJun, Brian, Alexander, Ian, and Ellis; and three great-grandchildren, Oliver, Reed, and Forest.

Dan's ashes will be interred at Mount Peace Cemetery in Akron in the late fall.