Dixie Mays, 78, passed away Saturday morning, May 2, 2026, at her home in the Deanburg Community of Chester County.
Funeral services were 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Shackelford Funeral Directors - Crook Avenue Chapel with burial following at Pleasant Springs Cemetery. The family received friends at Crook Avenue Chapel from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 6.
She was born in Anna, Ill., on March 14, 1948, daughter of the late William H. and Virginia Lee Wilson Phillips. She grew up in Memphis and was a 1966 graduate of Trezevant High School.
She married Michael Mays on March 6, 1967. Mr. Mays joined the Army and served in Vietnam. While he was in the army, she worked as a bank teller in Memphis. She later attended Memphis State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and began working at Baptist Hospital downtown. She later worked for St. Francis Hospital in Memphis for a time. In 1981, she and Michael moved back to the family farm in the Deanburg. She then began working at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital for a time before returning to work in Memphis at The Med. In the mid-1990s, she began working for Trinity Healthcare and went back to school and earned her master’s degree. She retired at age 66 and was working for United Healthcare at the time. Mr. Mays preceded her in death on March 26, 2020.
Dixie was a member of the Deanburg Baptist Church. She enjoyed reading and watching her sons drag race. She also enjoyed annual trips to Florida to visit her family. While caring for others was a passion, her greatest love was her family, and she especially loved spending time with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her two sons, Billy (Traci) Mays and Kenny (Sharon) Mays, both of Deanburg; four grandchildren, Phillip (Sarah) Mays, Tiffany (David) Hester, Madison (Jacob) Haynes and Ashley Brewer; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Michael; and a brother, Michael Phillips.
