Loretta May

Naoma Loretta May, 91 years old, Gainesville, Va., died peacefully at home on Nov. 24, 2013. She was born on Nov. 17, 1922, in Grimes, Iowa. Her parents, Mary Ann “Molly” Nixon Smith and Thomas Joseph Smith, predeceased her. Loretta’s is survived by one sibling, Agnita Marie Teale, Grand Rapids, Mi. Her other siblings predeceased her: Mary Luella Smith, Joseph Leonard Smith, Catherine Agnes Darby, Rosalita Cecilia Mikesell, Leona Patricia Stahl, and Francis William Smith. Loretta graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy, Des Moines, Iowa. She married Clifford Daniel May, Jr., on Dec. 6, 1942, at St. Johns Church in Des Moines, Iowa. They lived in several different places, including Des Moines, Iowa; Joplin, Mo.; Shirlington, Va.; Falls Church, Va.; Fairfax, Va.; and Gainesville, Va. She and her husband, Dan, raised ten children: Daniel Paul May, Fairfax, Va.; Thomas John May, Gainesville, Va.; Nancy Ann Conroy, Manassas, Va.; Susan Marie Olah, Rustburg, Va.; James Francis May, Aiken, S.C.; Patricia Louise May, Harrisonburg, Va.; Kathleen Linda Herrity, Bristow, Va.; Michael Clifford May, Arlington, Va.; Dennis Joseph May, Warrenton, Va.; and Denise Jeanette O’Keefe, Concord, N.C. Loretta loved her family, her Catholic faith, volunteering for her church, her community, and her children’s schools. She enjoyed playing mahjong, the card games canasta and 26, sewing, embroidery, yard work, walking, and the annual “girls” weekend. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Clifford Daniel May, who died on Sept. 6, 2000. She was also preceded in death by her first-born son, Daniel Paul May, March 1, 1999. She has 25 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. The visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013, at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas, Va., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, Va., at 11 a.m. The burial immediately following the Mass, will be at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax, Va. Loretta was greatly loved by her family and friends, and she will be sorely missed by all who knew her. In lieu of flowers the family request donations to Capital Caring Hospice, 10530 Linden Lake Plz, Manassas, VA 20109 in loving memory of Loretta N. May.

Loretta May

November 17, 1922 - November 24, 2013