ROCHESTER, MINN -- The funeral for Dr. Chester W. Mayo will be at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Rochester; the Rev. Ronald Meyer will officiate. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery.
Dr. Mayo, 51, an orthopedic surgeon in Aberdeen, S.D., died Sunday (Nov. 25, 2007) in a plane crash in Faribault, Minn. Three others were also killed in the accident, including Dr. Mayo's son, Chester.
The great-grandson of Dr. Charles Mayo, one of the founders of Mayo Clinic, Chester Wilson Plank Mayo was born Oct. 18, 1956, in Rochester. He graduated from Mayo High School and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Minnesota. He then completed a residency in orthopedics at Mayo Clinic. On June 12, 1987, he married Julie McDonnell in Rochester. The family moved to Aberdeen in 1992, where Dr. Mayo practiced with Orthopedic Surgical Specialists. He was a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He enjoyed flying and his dogs.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Julie McDonnell Mayo, and three children, Chloe, Charlotte and Chandler, all at home in Aberdeen; his mother and stepfather, Joanne C. Ward Sokolski and Michael Sokolski of Santa Ana, Calif.; his father, Joseph G. II of Belize and Rochester; a sister, Jodi Mayo of Rochester; and a brother, Dr. Joseph G. III (Susan) of Yorba Linda, Calif.
Friends may call an hour before the service at the church.
Memorials are preferred to Dr. Bernard Morrey, Mayo Clinic Orthopedics Department Leadership Administration; Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault; or Aberdeen Golden Eagles Special Olympics, 24 5th Ave. S.W., Aberdeen, SD 57401.
Macken Funeral Home of Rochester is in charge of arrangements.
#2 of 2 items
Dr. Chester Mayo loved to fly
11/28/2007
Post-Bulletin and news services
FARIBAULT, MINN. -- Dr. Chester W.P. Mayo loved to fly and had recently purchased the Cirrus SR22 plane that crashed at the Faribault airport Sunday, killing Mayo, one of his sons and two others.
"He's an incredibly careful, well-trained pilot. He had his instrument rating," said his brother, Joseph Mayo. "It wasn't all that exciting flying with him, because he was always worried and concerned and double-checking and all that."
Because of that, the crash came as even more of a shock, he said.
Chester W.P. Mayo was an orthopedic surgeon, descended from the brothers who built Mayo Clinic. Dr. Charlie Mayo, one of the Mayo brothers who guided the Mayo Clinic to international fame, had a son named Chuck. Chuck Mayo's son, Joe, was Chester Mayo's father.
Joseph Mayo, an orthopedic surgeon in Placentia, Calif., said he and Chester learned to fly airplanes before they were old enough to drive cars. They grew up in Rochester.
Chester W.P. Mayo did his orthopedic surgical residency at Mayo Clinic after earning his medical degree at the University of Minnesota.
Joseph Mayo said he and his brother trained in the same program -- although Joseph was a couple of years ahead.
He said his brother loved his job and often worked 60 or 70 hours a week. He enjoyed flying, spending time with his kids, taking trips and going out with his dogs.
"We went on trips all the time. ... We went scuba diving," Joseph Mayo said. "He was a warm guy. We always gave each other a hug."
His eldest son, 17-year-old Chester Mayo Jr., and Corey Lyn Creger, 19, a Faribault native who was a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, were killed in the crash, police said. A friend and former classmate said the fourth victim was Jay Wang, 17, Chester Mayo Jr.'s roommate at Shattuck-St. Mary's.
The four-seat plane, which is equipped with a parachute, burst into flames and scattered debris across the airfield.
Authorities were trying to figure out why Mayo had to make a second attempt to land, said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site Monday.
Kate Dougherty, spokeswoman for the plane's manufacturer, Cirrus Design Corp. of Duluth, said the company could not comment during the NTSB investigation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are really with the family," Dougherty said. "We try very, very hard to keep this from happening."
Since 2002, the SR22 has been involved in 17 accidents resulting in 35 deaths, according to the NTSB.