Gayton Henry Basil Yancy

Gayton Henry Basil Yancy, 82, of Methuen, MA, passed away Friday, September 18, 2020.  He was born in Lawrence, MA and was the son of the late Gayton and Sarah Mae Yancy.

The oldest of five children, Gayton was raised in Andover, MA. He went to Brown University; while he rarely went to class, his superior grades put him on the Dean’s list. Known by his peers as Basil, he was an excellent athlete, though he did not play on any collegiate teams. He graduated from Brown with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian. Soon after, he married the love of his life, Janice Rawlings, a native of Rumford, RI. Together, they raised four children in Medfield, MA.

Gayton earned an MBA from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was an engineer who worked for Raytheon and AT&T. An excellent writer, he sent multiple articles to scientific journals that rarely required edits. He was active in his local Episcopal church, Toastmasters and his college fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. He had a beautiful tenor voice, which he used in the local church choir as well as a barbershop quartet. He was an avid Celtics fan and loved to play a wide array of board and card games with family and friends. Highly charismatic and engaging, he was known for his great sense of humor, bright smile and contagious laughter.

Gayton was predeceased by his wife, Janice (Rawlings) Yancy, his son, Gayton Henry Basil Yancy, Jr., and his grandson, James Bostic.

He is survived by his children, Elizabeth Bostic of Methuen, Carolyn Halfkenny of Methuen, John Yancy of Brookfield, MA, and Rasheib Yancy of MA; brother, Arthur Yancy of Atkinson, NH; sister, Dr. Pamela Gumbs and her husband John of CA. He also leaves his grandchildren, Maritza, Zawadi, Jibri, Rama, Stella Elizabeth, Dominic, Adan and Aliza Marie.

At the request of the family all services were private.