Claude and Janet Mays

The Mays were both widowed when mutual friends introduced them in 2005. After a few months of dating, they married in March 2006.  Janet has one son, Jason, and he and his wife Sonja, live in Evington, Virginia.  Claude’s one son, Brian, and wife Julia, live in Frisco, Texas, with their two daughters Josie (13) and Elodie (12).  Daughter, Cathy, and her husband Randall reside in Fairfax, Virginia.  Their son Nathan (19) is a sophomore at Liberty University.

Claude, born in Amherst County at the end of the Great Depression, attended a small rural school (one of twelve in his class) and graduated when he was 16 years old. After one semester of college, he enlisted in the United States Navy.  As a part of the Naval Security Group, he received training in the Communication and Russian Language Schools and served in the Aleutian Islands followed by the National Security Agency in Laurel, MD.

After an honorable discharge from the Navy Claude completed requirements for a BS degree from Lynchburg College (today University of Lynchburg) in Physics, followed by graduate school at the University of Virginia where he received an MS degree in Physics and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering.  He then worked 41 years in the nuclear industry, retiring from Babcock & Wilcox in 1994 and AREVA/Framatome in 2008. Most of his working years involved developing reactor physics methods and models for analyzing nuclear reactor cores.  This included commercial power reactors, nuclear rockets, and special applications for the Central Intelligence Agency.  During this time, he spent 17 years on the Amherst County School Board and 10 years on the governing board of the Central Virginia Governor’s School for Science & Technology.  Hobbies have been golf, hunting and astronomy (including doing presentations in schools).  He’s a member of Madison Heights Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and Sunday School teacher.

Janet is a baby-boomer, born and raised near Boston, Massachusetts.  She grew up with a love of music and played piano for many years.  After graduating from Melrose High School in 1966, she attended Northeastern University for two years. She loves 1960s music.  With her husband’s employment transfers Janet moved to New Hampshire, then Connecticut in the early ‘70s, and finally to Virginia in 1987.  She worked sales/customer service positions for several different companies throughout the years and retired from Tyco Electronics (formerly Ericsson). 

Wherever she has lived, Janet has been active with civic groups and her church.  She is currently a member of Heritage United Methodist Church where she serves in whatever capacity she can, including teaching Sunday School, taking communion to shut-ins, delivering Meals on Wheels and serving as treasurer of her United Methodist Women’s Circle.  She enjoys her book club and reading books she might never have picked up otherwise.  She also spends cherished time sewing, needlework, knitting, crafting, and decorating.

Claude and Janet have been Azalea option members for the past four years and have been involved with water aerobics and the “Over the Net Gang” volleyball group.  Through these activities, they have already made several friends.  They are looking forward to enjoying more of the activities and programs WC has to offer and getting to know a lot more people.