Mayo Joseph Bloomfield

My Father Mayo Joseph Bloomfield, born Whitney Edger Bloomfield in Donaldson, Louisiana, was of French heritage. When his Mother Nellie Scholartique "Celeste" Preaux Bloomfield and older Brother Louis Elfray Bloomfield moved to St. Augustine from Louisiana around 1940, Mayo was a junior or senior in high school. I am told by Uncle Elfry's surviving Wife Aunt Jeanne (a dear and tender soul) that Mrs. Bloomfield (as she commonly refers to her Mother-In-Law) followed Elfry and moved to a home on Grant Street in St. Augustine. The location was close to the local radio station where Elfry was hired to work as a Broadcast Engineer.

I have taken pictures of 39 & 37 Grant Street on behalf of Uncle Elfry. It is here where he thought they lived. I heard Mom tell the tale of how Dad was the new kid in town and when asked what she would like for her Birthday she replied Mayo Bloomfield. She recalled how when she would come by the house with friends, they would knock on the door, ask for him and he would reply to them through the window facing the street while putting on his "duds". She told me he was quite the looker and had others tell me they used to call him "the brain".

I have come across other pictures of him along what I believe to be San Marco in St. Augustine. I know Mom and Dad told me during high school they hung out at Shivers BBQ, now long gone. Other relevant land marks along San Marco include what is the Visitors Center across from Ripley's Museum. That is where she attended her Prom, along with Dad and other family and friends including Dick Francis her closest and dearest cousin from her Mother's Family. It is my delight that she is Memorialized there.

Like so many youth, Dad was eager to respond to the attacks on Pearl Harbor and enlisted into the service. He got married at 17 and joined the Army Air Corp just after he turned 18 under his name on his birth certificate. He completed his service, changed his name to Mayo Joseph and came back home to graduate from Ketterlinus High School on Orange Ave. Dad became a Radio Broadcast Engineer like his Brother and later worked for Sperry Gyroscopes (Sperry Rand) as a Field Engineer / Aerospace. His career with Sperry spanned over 20 years and expanded into many states with oversea assignments. He embraced roles teaching and troubleshooting flight support systems on commercial and military aircraft.

It is hard for me to imagine a lifestyle that supports that size of a family and the sacrifices made. His death at the early age of 54 was a devastating blow to those of us that identified ourselves through his love.

As with all things, time may have healed that wound for us but the impact of our Father's gifts through his sacrifice still whispers through our thoughts and memories. As we struggle to cling to these valuable keepsakes that are the Bloomfield traits, we long for his presence and the sense of security in his care.