Mayanne Colson

Oct 5, 1932 -

Jun 7, 2022

Mayanne L. Colson passed away on June 7, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Mayanne was born in Santa Barbara, Calif., making the beach her home. She loved playing in the sun, sand and water on the California Coast. During World War II, her father was called to military service, causing the beach girl to move up and down the Pacific Coast with a side trip to Oklahoma. After the war, the family settled back to their lives in Santa Barbara. Mayanne was enjoying her junior year at Santa Barbara High when her father was recalled into the army. The family loaded onto a troop ship which landed in Whittier, Alaska, in November 1949. You can imagine her shock, going from the beaches in California to winters in Alaska!

Mayanne entered Anchorage High School in January 1950, taking advantage of every opportunity Anchorage had to offer: skiing at Arctic Valley, ice skating, performing in high school plays and working in a jewelry shop in downtown Anchorage. She graduated in 1951, from what she called the "REAL" Anchorage High School in the 4th Avenue Theater and attended University of Alaska Fairbanks, also referred to as the "REAL" University. During her freshman year she met her future husband, James Byron Colson Jr., and after playing hard to get for a year and a half she finally agreed to marry him in July 1953.

Mayanne began the life as a career army wife, moving to Georgia with her newly commissioned husband; moving around the world became a lifestyle for Mayanne's family. After 16 moves and four non-accompanied year long tours, Mayanne returned to Anchorage with her family in 1974, determined to settle down. In August 1977, her husband, Col. James B. Colson Jr., died of service-related issues, almost 10 years to the day after returning home from Vietnam. Mayanne was determined to make life work for her children and did everything in her power to keep the family going. She took a job as a research librarian for SOHIO, then went to work for the State of Alaska Division of Elections retiring in 1990.

After retirement, Mayanne stayed busy volunteering with the Anchorage Visitors and Convention Bureau in the log cabin downtown. She loved answering questions from tourist about her beloved city. The funniest questions she was ever asked was when a tourist wanted her to show him a "Real Map" of Alaska…you know the one with all of the roads on it. She told the guy "you're looking at it' … which he didn't exactly believe.

Mayanne enjoyed working in her garden and often volunteered with the Anchorage Botanical Gardens. She was known for her beautiful peonies and whimsical garden art. She also enjoyed quilting and traveling around the world searching for the perfect fabrics for her never-ending sewing projects.

Mayanne is survived by her four children and their spouses, Catherine (Don), Byron (Robin), Ben (Betsy), Ann (Rory); seven grandchildren; and countless great-grandchildren.

If you knew Mayanne, please take a minute to look up into the sky and smile at the Anchorage mountains she so dearly loved. No services are planned at this time.

Donations can be made in Mayanne's name to the Alaska Botanical Garden.