James Mayfield

James (Jim) Fletcher Mayfield, of Playas, New Mexico, 98, died Monday, October 5, 2015, following a brief illness.
He leaves behind his son, JH (Butch) and wife Amanda Mayfield; his granddaughters and spouses, Leann and John Saunders and Melinda and Clay Birkeland and his six great grandchildren, Kenneth, Payson, Cain, Riley, Hannah and Katie; and many relatives and friends.
He was born in Erick Oklahoma and raised in the Texas Panhandle. The son of William Fletcher and Neppie Ruth Mayfield, he left Texas with his wife Annie Modene Barnes Mayfield and settled down in Southwestern Colorado. Jim and Modene lived in the Bayfield/Ignacio area following WW II until 1990 where they raised their son. They then moved to Southwestern New Mexico, near Playas. They were lifetime ranchers and Jim was active in all aspects until the time of his death. Jim was a lifetime member of the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) as well as a charter member of the NCBA (National Cattleman’s Beef Association).
He served in WWII with three of his brothers, having duty in the Pacific for three years near the end of the war. An avid bluegrass musician, he was a vocalist that also played various bluegrass instruments, while specializing in the fiddle. He played with his five brothers and two sisters and many friends throughout the years. He was quite the entertainer, and played and performed at many dancehalls and festivals in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. He also hosted a weekly radio show, made several television appearances and appeared in magazine and newspaper articles throughout the years. Up until his death he continued to enjoy singing with his family and friends.
A funeral service will be held at Crestview Memorial Cemetery near Durango, Colorado at 10 am on Saturday, October 24th, 2015.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in James F. Mayfield’s memory, to the Foundation for Bluegrass Music http://bluegrassfoundation.org/donations or you can call them direct at (615)256-3222.