My mother, Mae May, was born in Williamson, West Virginia, in 1926 and spent her childhood there. Mom studied bookkeeping at Sullins College and worked in insurance before meeting Ken May. She and Ken married in 1947 and moved to Huntington, West Virginia, where my dad operated a neighborhood grocery store. In 1956, after vacationing in Miami, they sold everything and moved to Lake Worth, Florida. By 1959, they had settled the family in North Palm Beach. Mom was the CFO for Ken’s real estate and construction businesses: Kenco Homes, K. May Construction, and Ken May Realty and was also a licensed interior decorator. She lived in North Palm Beach for 62 years.
As a child, my mother loved to read and would go to the movies for a whole afternoon at a time. She especially loved musicals and swashbucklers—with a romantic story line and a handsome leading man and usually a woman who kept him on his toes or even outmatched him. Romantic westerns were her favorite. Which is why, when she and I went to the theater to see that new sci fi movie, Star Wars, she was a franchise devotee for life. She loved that movie so much, and I treasure the fact that I saw it in the theater with her when it first came out. We drove all the way to Lake Worth to the rocking chair theater, which might as well have been a galaxy far, far away. My mother also loved Star Trek and her love was comprehensive. Even so, Captain Kirk was her favorite. My father thought it was a silly show, but mom never wavered in her affection for it or the number of times she watched the reruns. When she passed, I kept her small Yoda action figure and her Captain Kirk mug.
Mom and dad were enthusiastic supporters of the North Palm Beach Library and the Eissey Campus Theatre. Mom was also an avid tennis player, who enjoyed competitive women’s doubles, as well as recreational mixed doubles with my dad. They also enjoyed international travel with friends, generating many wonderful memories.
