Margaret Rebecca (Schultz) Mayer

Margaret Rebecca “Becky” Schultz Mayer, 90, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, died peacefully at home on January 6, 2018.  She spent the recent holidays surrounded by her family and their love. Becky was born on May 16, 1927, in Philadelphia to Charles Hamilton Schultz, MD, and Margaret Ambrose Schultz, both of Johnstown. When she was 3 years old, her family moved from Moxham to Southmont and built a house where Becky lived until she died.  In pre-school, Becky met James E. (“Jim”) Mayer.  When Becky was at Wellesley and Jim at Princeton, they fell in love and were married in 1950.   While Jim was fighting in Korea, Becky sent jars of olives packed in martinis with his care packages, and hosted one of the first syndicated programs by the fledging WJAC TV, “Home is Happiness,” riding with the TV crew to the top of Laurel Mountain to air the broadcast.  She helped found Pennwood Players, bringing the Fantastiks to the Mountain Playhouse with co-director Jo Ann Suppes and many of her friends, and later co-founded Patchwork Puppets, delighting children of all ages with hand-made puppets, original stories and a custom-built puppet theater.  Becky combined her life-long love of books and connecting with people by co-founding and managing the Griffin Bookstore on Main Street from 1976 to 1997.  Every summer, she and Jim would take family trips to Ocean City, NJ, which the family plans to continue in her memory, as well as canoeing and camping trips across North America.  They took numerous trips on their own to Alaska and Canada. After  Jim died in 1990, Becky caught her second wind and ventured out into the world.  She obtained a Masters degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Creation Spirituality and Naropa in Oakland, CA.  Becky traveled to India several times, as well as to Bali, Africa, and Europe.  She took each of her grandchildren on a trip of their choosing when they turned 13, sharing her appreciation for the people and cultures of the world.  She pursued a deepening relationship with God, often describing her faith as Buddhist-Hindu-Christian. At home she volunteered with many organizations:  Girl Scouts, Meals on Wheels, Westmont Presbyterian Church, Winder Hospice, Audubon Society,  Cambria County Library. Becky’s biggest legacy is the way she approached people and the world with open arms and open heart.  She made everyone she met feel special with her undivided, welcoming attention and love. Becky is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.  She is survived by her four children: Patricia Mayer; Christine “Chris” Bragg (Ty); Elizabeth Mayer (Mike Kane); and Charles “Fritz” Mayer; nine grandchildren: Katherine and Alison Doyle; Taylor, Hilary, and Emily Bragg; James and Ellie Kane; Charles “Ricky” and Maria Mayer; her brother Charles “Chiz” Schultz (Nancy), her brother-in-law Richard Mayer (Connie), numerous nieces,  nephews, and countless friends from around the globe and all walks of life.Visitation will be held from 2-6 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2018, at John Henderson Company Funeral Home, 215 Central Ave.  The memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Westmont Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Jim Mayer Fund, designated for maintenance of the Jim Mayer Riverswalk at the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, Windber Hospice, or Westmont Presbyterian Church.

 Service Information