Ira Cogburn-Mayo

Ira Cogburn-Mayo, age 90, passed away peacefully at her home in Waco on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 14 at Downing Cemetery, located on State Highway 16, just south of DeLeon, Texas. The Nowlin Anders Funeral Home will conduct funeral arrangements, and family friend Rev. Virgil Cornwell of Savoy will officiate. Ira was born near DeLeon on February 11, 1927, the daughter of Maggie Solley and Levi Richard Coan, both from Alabama. At the age of 16, she married Travis J. Cogburn and moved to Waco, where she was a homemaker for several years, raising her two children Sharon Mira and Dale Lynn, and later managed the Comal Cotton fabric store in Westview Village. Soon after earning her G.E.D. in 1981, Ira transferred to New York City to continue working in textile retail sales for West Point – Pepperell. She remarried in 1991 to long-time friend, William “Bill” Mayo of Waco, but remained residing in NYC until 2003. She was a fiercely independent woman with a keen sense of humor, positive outlook, and warm heart. Lively and bold, Ira never missed an opportunity to socialize, eat out at restaurants, shop at upscale department stores, and adorn herself with jewelry. She loved to travel, sew, walk to work in Manhattan, and meet interesting people. She was a people person, maintaining close correspondence and friendships all of her life. She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings Clarence Coan, Lloyd Coan, Earl Coan, Lyra Walker, and twin sister, Mira Coan; her son, Dale Cogburn; her daughter, Sharon McElvany; her granddaughter, Lesley Farley; and her husband, Bill Mayo. She is survived by her sister, Bernice Otwell of DeLeon; her half-brother, Doyle O’Neal and wife, Peggy of Hico; her granddaughter, Jamie Veselka and husband, Danny of China Spring; her granddaughter, Julie Kawamura and husband, Tom of Plano; six great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and countless friends. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com