A Stephenville man of The Greatest Generation will celebrate his 100th birthday later this month -- although it will look a little different than his family had planned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Because of that, his family is asking for people across the country to send birthday cards to soon-to-be centenarian Douglas Mayo. Mayo served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945 and was in combat in Guam, his daughter Rita Cook said. He has always called Texas home.
The family posted their request on Facebook:
Call for Help: Douglas Mayo, is turning 100 on August 22. We have had to cancel the celebration because of the risks of COVID-19. We would like to ask that people send him birthday cards from all over the U.S. Here's his address:
Douglas Mayo
316 Tanglewood Circle
Stephenville, TX 76401
The family plans to have ice cream, celebration letter signs in the front yard and a caravan of people honking and waving to celebrate when his birthday finally arrives.
Cook says Mayo is a very outgoing person and up until he was in his 70s he would go out dancing every night. Now, he lives with Cook and her brother.
Mayo talks to Cook about how much has changed in his lifetime.
“When he was a kid cars were a big deal, he always loved cars and loved clothes,” Cook said. “His grandparents and parents didn’t have a car so he talks about that.”
Mayo says he has told her that he is looking forward to a trip to Big Bend and New Mexico when the pandemic is over.
“He has really adapted,” Cook said. “A lot of people live in the past, he’s never been a person to do that. He lives in the now and the future.”
