Mary Ann Maye

Mary Ann Maye of Simi Valley, CA, otherwise known to family as Grandma or GiGi, was born May 5, 1940, in Washington D.C., to John E. Pollock and Edna R. Bollenbacher. Mary Ann passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, September 4, 2026. She grew up in Provo, Utah, and attended BYU. She was one of the first non-Mormon cheerleaders to make the cheer team. In the 1960s, Mary Ann left Utah and moved to California, where she truly felt at home and non-judged because of her religion for the first time.

In the 1970's, inspired by a neighbor, Mary Ann became a braille transcriber for the Simi Valley Unified School District, where she was employed for 30 years. She also worked at the Simi Valley Enterprise Newspaper, which was bought out a few times, and ultimately retired from the Ventura County Star after 30 years.

Needing to keep active, she began volunteering at her local Curves. When Curves closed, she needed something else and that started the "Busy hands of Mary Ann" If you attended any of the craft fairs at St. Peter Claver, Holy Cross, St. Bernardine of Siena, the Simi Cultural Arts Center, Methodist Church, and some of the other churches in Simi, you probably ran into Mary Ann selling the softest knitted scarves, hats, and hand quilted baby blankets.

Mary Ann loved baking. There were always cookies and cupcakes around. During the holidays, it was Strawberry Dessert and Lemon Meringue Pie, and for breakfast was muffins and cheese sauce or her amazing homemade Belgian waffles. She loved the Hallmark Christmas Movies all year long, Formula One Racing, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. When she was more mobile and before the pandemic, she loved having her lunches with the Curves ladies and walking her grand pups, Stanley Cup and Puck, at the park. But what she loved the most was her family and knowing that they were happy.

Mary Ann married William Patrick Maye in 1964, and they later divorced in 1988. Mary Ann is survived by her three children, Michelle, Patrick (Heather), and William, five grandchildren, Kajza (David), Ashley, Addison, Ryan, and Tyler, three great-grandchildren, Grae, Kaeleigh, and Declan, as well as her sister-in-law, Veronica, and nieces, nephew, grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, John.