MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mavis Leathers Vaccaro, 81, of Memphis, Tenn., died peacefully on May 22, with her two daughters by her side.
An administrative secretary to various deans at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, she retired in 1994.
She was active in her community, becoming a docent for the Memphis Wonders Museum series, including the Titanic Exhibition and The Tombs of China, among others. She was passionate about cooking and gardening, becoming a Tennessee Master Gardener in 1988.
Mavis' love of family and genealogy fostered her research and membership into the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1987.
The highlight of her later years was becoming a grandmother to her two Plattsburgh girls, Lindsay and Katie. During frequent visits to the North Country, Mavis grew to love the local area and the warmth of the people here. Mavis especially enjoyed meeting her granddaughter's caregivers and teachers and was always impressed with the quality of the many recitals, plays and performances that she was able to attend in Plattsburgh. During a couple of her visits, she was even able to help out at a rummage sale or dinner at the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church.
She is survived by her two daughters, Anita Jane Vaccaro, of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Diane Vaccaro Davison of Saranac Lake; she also leaves her two granddaughters, Dr. Lindsay Elizabeth Davison of Silver Springs, Md., and Miss Katherine Helen Davison of Plattsburgh.
Her services were held at the Senter Funeral Home near her hometown of Fulton, Miss., with burial next to extended family at the Fairview Cemetery there.
Memorials may be sent to the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church or the Alzheimers' Association.
