Frank Henderson Mayfield, Jr., age 84, of Georgetown, Ohio died Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at Anderson Mercy Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born July 20, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of the late Dr. Frank and Queenee (Jones) Mayfield.
Mr. Mayfield graduated from Walnut Hills High School 1957, University of North Carolina in 1961 and received his Juris Doctor Degree from Samuel P. Chase College of Law in 1965. After graduation, he spent the next fifty-eight years fulfilling a wide array of government and business endeavors.
In the early 1960s, Frank was Research Assistant to Chairman, Federal Commission on Locks and Dams Inland Waterways. His next role, a Detention Officer in the Hamilton County Juvenile Court. In the mid-1960s, Frank served one term as a Commissioner on the Cincinnati Planning Commission which produced a study on causes of tax base and neighborhood decline and promoted policy changes to reverse trends.
Frank’s highest government achievement was being elected to the Ohio General Assembly- Ohio House of Representatives from 1967-1976. During this time, he represented the 27th District of Ohio and had the following roles:
Chairman, Consumer Protection Committee: While Chairman, this select committee received National Award from National Conference of State Legislatures for its creative and successful legislation against consumer fraud.
Vice-Chairman, Insurance – Financial Institution – Utilities Committee: Crafted and managed successful legislation outlining Charter Life Insurance policy fraud.
Member – Health, Education Welfare Committee: Task Force activist which promoted initiatives to improve inter-city housing conditions.
Member – Legislative Special Committee on Campus Rioting: Visited each state university campus, addressed student gatherings, assisted Colonel Chiaramonte of State Patrol with campus unrest matters.
After finishing his terms as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Frank turned his focus on business opportunities.
From 1962-1966, he was the Main and Salvage Adjuster for Nere Gibbs and Company, a regional marine underwriting syndicate, which insured vessels and cargo on the inland waterways. Then, in 1967 he was the Owner and Founder of Marine Brokerage Service Company, a maritime insurance brokerage firm, affiliated with A.W. Sell Company- responsible for crafting the Lloyds of London insurance slip, which saved the Steamboat Delta Queen, testifying before Congress and Federal Maritime Commission ultimately allowing for its exemption from the Safety at Sea Act.
In 1976 Frank sold his Marine Brokerage Service to Marsh & McLellan Incorporated, an international risk management firm. He remained on as Senior Vice President and Managing Director, responsible for building and managing profit centers in Ohio and Kentucky until 1991.
In the mid-1990s, Frank along with his wife, Judy, founded StarForce National Corporation, an exclusive transportation provider for the Department of Defense, supporting the recruiting efforts in over 30 states. Until his retirement, he designed and implemented transportation plans for the Armed Forces of the United States.
Frank was keen on reading books and writing papers. He was a Member of the Literary club of Cincinnati for 20 years. His most notable papers were the following:
Author of “The Big Exemption”, which was the story line behind the made for TV film “The Unsinkable Delta Queen”.
Author of biography about Congressman, Republican Party Chairman and UN Ambassador Gordon H. Scherer, published in the Cincinnati Enquirer a five-part series.
Author of biographical essay about Congressman and Chairman of Kroger Company and OSU Board Chairman, Jacob E. Davis.
Frank’s fondest endeavor was being a farmer on Low Bridge Farm in Brown County. There he and Judy managed cattle herds and harvested their own hay.
Frank was a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Maysville, where he found peace and comfort.
Mr. Mayfield is survived by his wife of thirty-one years -Judy (McCullough) Mayfield, siblings- Sally Mayfield Schreiner, brother Glen and wife Lynn and sister Vicky Mayfield Hall and husband Richard Hall.
Six children: Deborah Blakey, David Mayfield, Diana O’Brien and her husband David, Frank Mayfield lll and his wife Michelle. Thad Deye and his wife Sherry, and Todd Deye and his wife Diana, plus ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Judy R. Radabaugh – mother of his four children.
A private Grave Side Service will be held Noon on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at the family Mayfield Ring at Spring Grove Cemetery.
A public Memorial Service will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, Maysville, Kentucky, Noon, Thursday, March 14, 2024.
If desired, memorial contributions may be made to Impact Autism, c/o Diana O’Brien, 2770 Observatory Ave. #402, Cincinnati, OH 45208.