Born in the great plains of western Canada amidst the Great Depression, Anne Elizabeth (Beauchamp) Mayock went on to complete her education, find the love of her life, raise eight children, serve her community, bravely stand up for her strongest beliefs, and in her later years, become an intrepid traveler.

Anne Mayock left this world peacefully on June 29, 2018, at the age of 88, in Rochester, where she had been visiting Jackie Pietz, one of her dearest, lifelong friends.

Anne was born on May 1, 1930, in Regina, Saskatchewan, the eldest of four children, to Albert and Margaret (Moran) Beauchamp. While her mother worked as a secretary for the Canadian National Railways and her father for the provincial government, Anne Mayock was often left in charge of her younger siblings, who playfully referred to her as the “Sergeant Major.” The devout Catholic family lived next to the great twin spires of the Holy Rosary Cathedral, where her mother washed the altar linens, her father contributed his carpentry skills, and Anne Mayock and her siblings attended the adjacent parochial school.

She was fortunate to attend boarding school and Notre Dame College in nearby Wilcox, Sask. where she received her diploma. With the support of college president Athol Murray, she traveled to the University of Toronto in 1951 for graduate studies with the expectation of returning to Regina to work as a teacher. While waiting in line one day to purchase books, she met Dr. Peter P. Mayock, Jr. of Wilkes-Barre, Penn., who had come to Toronto to study philosophy. They were married in Regina on Jan. 3, 1953, and soon began their life together in the U.S.

Anne Mayock deeply loved her husband and for thirty-seven years they cultivated their marriage. They accompanied each other as partners in tennis and bridge. They dedicated themselves to their children, giving them spiritual guidance, celebrating their achievements and picking them up when they faltered.

Her kind heart, generous spirit and thoughtful nature shone through in everything she did and people were drawn to her.

Mrs. Mayock was constantly looking for ways to improve the world she lived in. She took leadership roles for the Saint Anne Society and the Catholic Women’s League, served on the board of the Crusader Clinic, read to the blind on a local radio station, helped care for the children of migrant workers, served as lector and eucharistic minister in her parish and took communion to nursing homes and the homebound.

When two of her sons came out as gay in the early 1990’s, she not only accepted them with great love but generously offered herself as a resource to the parents of gay children in her parish. She also pursued equality for LGBTQ Catholics by representing her parish and her community at conferences and retreats at the national level.

After the passing of her husband, Anne Mayock traveled to many parts of the globe with friends and family, earning the nickname “The Happy Wanderer.”

Yet her greatest desire, throughout her final three decades, was to be reunited with her husband—a desire which has now been fulfilled.

Anne Mayock leaves behind seven sons and one daughter: James (Tan Tan), Elizabeth (David Mullen), Thomas, Peter, John (Liz), Joe (Rich Lo), Andrew (Cindy Huang) and Christopher; daughter-in-law, Lydia Velasco; grandchildren: Alexander, Laura, Daniela, Margaret, Luke, Mariella and Tai, as well as sister, Yvonne Hayward, and brother, Ken Beauchamp.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Jackie (1940), her parents, Albert (1963) and Margaret (1989), husband, Peter (1990), and her granddaughter, Millie (1997).

There will be a visitation at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 7, at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rockford, Ill. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m.  Interment at 12 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In addition, a memorial mass will take place on Friday, July 6 at 4 p.m. at Milwaukee Catholic Home, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Corpus Christi Monastery of the Poor Clares, 2111 S. Main St, Rockford, IL 61102;Crusader Clinic, 1200 W. State Street, Rockford, IL 61102;or Milwaukee Catholic Home, 2462 N. Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211