A great mom whose life is dedicated to others

Venetta Mayfield is always thinking about other people, hoping to make their lives better, especially her children and grandchildren. 

“Our mom is always willing to spend her own time and money to the benefit and joy of her friends and family,” her children, Brandon and Janna, said.  “She always puts effort into birthdays and other special occasions to make sure people really feel special.”

Her children admire Venetta’s selflessness and caring for her family, friends and other people. 

“Everyone feels well taken care of when they’re in her company,” they said.

Venetta is known for her funny sense of humor, but she gets to work when something needs to be done. She is confident in what she wants and will make it happen if others don’t get on board.

She is a hard worker who worked several jobs over the years, including most of her professional life at GTE, and as an assistant teacher at Penny Creek Elementary School. Even though she is now retired, Venetta keeps herself busy in her community of Colleyville, Texas.

She enjoys shopping, always in person, never online, especially at her “honey hole” thrift stores throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Venetta enjoys visiting friends and helping plan parties, baking pies, and talking and playing games with her grandchildren. She also travels with friends and family on cruises, loves to read, and occasionally visits casinos “to make a donation.”

Even with so much going on, Venetta finds time to volunteer at Mount Olive Baptist Church and at the local food pantry.

“She is an example of service, she is always helping someone do something, whether it is a friend in need, something for her church or at the food pantry” Brandon and Janna said. 

Thanks to Venetta’s willingness to make holidays special for her kids, they have special memories they will never forget, like seeing their mom dress up as Rambo for Halloween. She would also dress up as the Easter bunny and have egg hunts for the kids. One year she hid plastic eggs all around the house, and the kids laugh as they remember finding eggs months later in a jacket pocket or a pair of boots because their mom didn’t remember how many there were or where she put them.

When wrapping Christmas presents, Venetta has name stickers she could use but chooses not to because she wants to wrap each person’s gifts in specific wrapping paper. However, every year without fail, someone opens the wrong gift. It’s become a running joke for the family.

Being raised by such a wonderful woman has helped Brandon and Janna become adults their mom can be proud of, they said.

“She is always encouraging and does whatever she can to make sure we have what we need and feel confident in what we do,” the children said.  “She is a great mother because she really gets joy from our success.”

Brandon and Janna follow lessons she taught them every single day, including to always take care of your family, and to treat people kindly but don’t let them steal your power. Each child has specific things they learned from their mom that they cherish. 

Brandon said she taught him how to shop and search at random places, and Janna is thankful her mom taught her how to make deviled eggs, peach cobbler, brownies, and Christmas mix.

Venetta’s children and her grandchildren, Olivia and Isaac, want her to know how much they love her and cherish everything she does for the family. 

“We love you and appreciate all the time and care you put in to make us feel loved and special,” they said.