Mavis Wylene Boykin was born in Andalusia, Alabama. At an early age, Mavis and her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Growing up with her mother Gladys and brothers Jesse, Charles and David, Mavis attended Fort Lauderdale High School. At the age of 17 she fell in love with a young Air Force serviceman, Richard McKillop, and decided to move across the country to Oregon to marry him.
Settling down in Cottage Grove, the young couple soon had two daughters, Cathy and Karen, and a son, Steve, to whom Mavis was the most nurturing, loving mother a person could ask for.
She was a woman of deep faith who attend Willamette Christian Center for many years, always having a kind word to say, and she was an exceptionally good cook who had a knack for making almost anything taste good.
She loved flowers, especially roses, and going for long rides with the family on weekends. She also enjoyed browsing through antiques and secondhand stores, searching for hidden treasures, and was delighted when she found one.
She was a very good typist, also being adept at the lost art of shorthand. Using these skills, she enjoyed a nearly 20-year career as a secretary at the University of Oregon from where she retired in 2004.
During her retirement years Mavis loved spending time with her children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughter, Cathy Contreras and son-in-law, John Contreras; daughter, Karen McKillop; son, Steve McKillop and daughter-in-law, Stacy McKillop; and her grandchildren, Levi Tompkins, Laurie Tompkins and Kyra McKillop.
Mom, you are already dearly missed.
Services were held on Oct. 27 under the direction of Major Family Funeral Home.
