Alexander T. Mayo, Jr.

Alexander T. Mayo, Jr., affectionately known as “A.T.” by friends and family, passed away on June 29, 2022 at the age of 79. His life was full of love and music, and he lived it to the fullest despite several health challenges in his later years. He showed great courage and strength throughout his life to the very end. He was predeceased by his parents, Alexander T. Mayo, M.D. and Margaret Eaton Mayo, and his sister Sandra Leigh Yarbrough. A.T. met Nancy Catlett, the absolute love of his life, at age 15 in his hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia. He immediately told his mother he was going to marry her. As teenagers, they spent a great deal of time on or near the Elizabeth River, dating by car and by boat. They both graduated from Wilson High School, with A.T. going on to Princeton and Nancy to JMU. After growing their relationship even more through college while each earned their respective degrees, they were married on June 26, 1965 and spent the next 57 years loving and supporting each other and the family they created together. The son of a local doctor, A.T. decided to join the legal profession and graduated from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1970. Widely respected for his honor and integrity, he enjoyed a long and rewarding career as an attorney, becoming a partner in several highly-regarded law firms over the years and serving as President of the Virginia State Bar from 1983-1984. A.T. worked extensively on Legal Ethics issues, taught the Faculty Course on Professionalism, and was commended by the Bar for exemplifying its highest ideals of professional conduct. He is listed in the Banking Law, Civil Trial Practice, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability Law and Real Estate Law sections of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. In 2020, he was recognized by the Bar for more than 50 years of service, and he continued to practice law until the day of his passing. A.T. served in many other capacities and received additional recognitions during his life, but his real passion was music. A talented pianist and singer, he performed regularly in front of audiences as a child and throughout his high school years. In college, he was a member and president of the internationally-known a cappella singing group The Princeton Tigertones, traveling, performing live, and appearing on multiple recordings, often as a soloist. A lifelong member and Elder of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Portsmouth, A.T. served as its Choir Director from 1975-1985, devoting countless hours to building lasting friendships while producing beautiful music which, to him, was a labor of love. His other interests included reading books, playing and watching golf, going fishing, playing cards, looking at birds and flowers, and, most of all, spending time with Nancy, his children and grandchildren. As A.T. sang many times when closing Tigertones performances, often with Nancy supporting him in the audience, in the words of Irving Berlin and spirit of Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and many other great singers, “The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.” A.T. is survived by his loving wife and partner of fifty-seven years, Nancy C. Mayo; son, Taylor Mayo (Michele); daughter, Ellen Brady (Jon); and grandchildren Grace, Elizabeth, and Graeme. A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 2 at First Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church in his memory or charity of your choice.