Eva Mae Mayfield, 72, longtime postal worker

Eva Mae Mayfield, 72, of Philadelphia, died Sunday, March 6, at Crozer-Chester Medical Center of injuries she suffered in a Feb. 1 fire at her home.

Mrs. Mayfield was lighting a candle when the flame got away from her, said her son, Carl A. She was hospitalized in critical condition and never recovered enough to leave the facility.

The Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Mrs. Mayfield's death was accidental. The cause was smoke inhalation and burns.

Born in South Boston, Va., to John Isaac and Kate Stephens Lewis, she was reared on the family farm with 13 brothers and sisters. She graduated from Mary M. Bethune High School in 1962.

She met Andrew A. Mayfield while still in Virginia. The two married and moved to Philadelphia, where they had two children. The couple later divorced.

Mrs. Mayfield had a 28-year career at the U.S. Postal Service, for which she held various positions in facilities throughout the Philadelphia area.

"Her colleagues knew her to be intelligent, reliable, trustworthy, hardworking, and a friend to all," said her son.

Mrs. Mayfield took pride in providing her children with private-school and college education. "She often said, 'Education is the passport to a better life,' " her son recalled.

She was devoted to her family and treated many friends as if they were blood relations. She routinely helped out in financial, transportation, and health matters.

She also liked to visit the sick and shut-ins. "If not me, then who will take care of 'my family'?" she liked to say.

"We all were her family," her son said.

One of her greatest joys was doing what she called "God's work." She could often be found at Sharon Baptist Church in Philadelphia, worshipping and studying the Bible.

Her hobbies included gardening, cooking, reading, playing checkers, and giving advice.

"She was a world traveler and loved to share stories of her adventures. She had a deep yearning to see and understand the world we live in," her son said.

Besides her son, she is survived by a daughter, Rhonda E.; three grandchildren; four sisters; two brothers; and nieces and nephews. Her former husband died in 2012.

Mrs. Mayfield's body was cremated. Plans for a memorial service were pending.

Memorial donations to purchase new equipment may be made to Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center, 1 Medical Center Blvd., Chester, Pa. 19013, Attention: Cynthia L. Reigart, clinical nursing director.

bcook@phillynews.com

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