Obituary of Mary P Dayton

Her Legacy… Mary P. Dayton was born to Thelma and Hugh Patton on Dec. 13, 1922, at Table Mountain Ranch, where her civil-engineer father was the foreman. The Pattons lived in Oroville, Nelson and Colfax, and Mary graduated from Placer High School, Yuba College (where she met husband-to-be Frank Dayton) and University of Denver (where she earned a degree in library sciences). Mary worked as a children's librarian for the city of Oakland, a corporate librarian in S.F. for Calpak (now Del Monte) and for the public library in Oroville. She was most proud of her service as a member of the Oroville Union High School District board of trustees. Her fair, cool-headed leadership repeatedly won her re-election -- she served from 1962-84. Mary was an accomplished knitter, a voracious reader, a good neighbor and a wise and loving mother who enjoyed nothing more than car rides in Butte County, unless it was a purring cat. A good woman who never, by choice, turned on a television, Mary died Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, near Oroville, at age 93. Her Family…Mary is survived by her daughter Nancy Clayton (John) of Meadow Vista, her son David (Cindy) of Martinez, and her son Daniel (Michal) of Oroville. Mary had, at last count, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, step- or otherwise (guess who's whose): Jim, Jack, Marisa, Mac, Evelyn, Wesley, Maddox, Mari, Jessica, Mason, Ian and Tristan. Mary is predeceased by her parents and, earlier this year, her brother Frank. Her Farewell…A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, at Ramsey Funeral Home, 1175 Robinson St., Oroville, Calif. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation that would help a school or library, or to Northwest SPCA in Oroville.