Leslie (McGinty) Mayne

Leslie Gay (McGinty) Mayne lived life, full of joy and laughter and love. On April 26, she took her last breath with her beloved, Darrell, by her side, and in an instant, she met her Savior face to face.

Born in Mansfield, Ohio on April 28, 1947, Leslie was the first born of David and Lillian McGinty. Dave and Lil loved the Lord fervently, and Leslie followed suit, asking Jesus to be her Savior when she was in elementary school. She was a proud Mansfield Senior Tyger (“with a Y”) and a graduate of the Class of 1964. She went to Taylor University – sight unseen – where she met the love of her life and graduated as a Music Education and Vocal Music major. Darrell and Leslie married on June 21, 1969 and began their 54 year adventure together. In 1976, they welcomed their first daughter, Erin. Katie followed in 1979, and the adventure continued.

For thirty years, Leslie worked as an elementary music teacher in whatever city Darrell coached football. She found joy in helping little ones love music wherever she taught. In Elyria, OH, she worked with a dear teaching partner to create musicals for kids to perform and thrive.

In the meantime, she, herself, loved to sing and be on the stage in local music theater productions. In Detroit, she was a Max Davey Singer and performed with Pat Boone. In West Branch, MI, she was Mother Superior in Sound of Music. In Delaware, OH, she was Mabel in Pirates of Penzance and sang the most amazing soprano solos. At one point, she was Marian the Librarian in Music Man too. She shared her love of music with Darrell and her girls. All of them can quickly quote lines and lyrics to a number of musicals and look to others to join along.

But what she loved the most was her family. She loved what they loved, and she was always – and will always – be their biggest fan. Darrell coached football for over 40 years, and she almost never missed a game. She would go scouting with him when they were young and go enjoy a Friday night game under the lights when he retired. Leslie embraced whatever her family loved in the moment and wanted to talk to them – and be with them – through all of it: sports, relationships, jobs, music, a new television show, books, house projects, and a really good movie on Hallmark.

She also believed in them, and it allowed them to believe in themselves. And their adventures were her adventures, their dreams were her dreams. There was never a dream or a life plan that was too big for her to help them realize, even if it included another huge move across the country. No matter what new journey they were on, she was full of ideas, full of ways to help, full of opinions, full of feisty-ness, and full of passion for life.

Underlying her love for them was a love for Jesus and a deep desire to love the Lord with her whole heart. Even amidst health trials, she wanted to live her life in a way that was pleasing to Him. Her faith was the foundation of her life, and it came as naturally to her as breathing.

Their dear Leslie consistently demonstrated how to love unconditionally, forgive easily, and rely on the Lord when the world didn’t make sense. She taught them how to smile easily, laugh often, and never take themselves too seriously. She challenged them to live with courage and integrity, to let go of frustrations, to enjoy a spunky debate, and, above all, to honor the Lord.

Their world will never be the same without her in it.

Leslie is preceded in death by her parents, David and Lillian McGinty, her in-laws, Dean and Dorothy Mayne, and her brother-in-law, Don Francis.

Leslie is survived by her loving husband, Darrell, and her legacy lives on through her two dear girls, Erin (Kyle) Lindsay who resides in Olathe, KS, and Katie (Cody) DeWitt who lives in North Port, FL. She is survived by her sweet grandchildren Grayden and Hudson DeWitt and Amelia Lindsay, as well as two beloved grand-dogs George and Thomas. She is also survived by brothers David (Pat) McGinty and Michael (Colleen) McGinty, sister-in-law Deanna Francis, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and family friends in states across the country.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. A Celebration of Leslie’s Life will be held at 12 p.m., and a Reception will follow at 1 p.m. All events will be held at Grace Polaris Church (8225 Worthington Galena Rd, Westerville, OH 43081). If you can attend, Leslie would have loved to see everyone wearing bright colors!

Remembrances may be made in the form desired by friends. Should loved ones choose to do so, memorial contributions may be sent to Taylor University School of Nursing via www.taylor.edu/give2initiatives (select Health Sciences and comment “in memoriam of Leslie (McGinty) Mayne ‘68").