Gaycha Erene Mayhew, 82, of Davenport, Iowa, passed away peacefully on January 4, 2026, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. Gaycha was born on March 10, 1943, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Lloyd Martens and Annabelle (Gardner) Martens. 

She graduated from Davenport High School in 1961 and went on to complete her Registered Nurse training through St. Luke’s School of Nursing. On June 19, 1965, she married Garvin “Ed” Mayhew in Davenport. Together, they shared many years of love, partnership, and travel until his passing in 2014.

Gaycha devoted her life to caring for others through an accomplished nursing career. She worked in Dr's offices, numerous hospital departments, including the Emergency Unit, Labor and Delivery, Surgery, and  Mental Health. Notably, she served as a scrub nurse for the first kidney transplant performed in the state of Iowa. Her career also included roles as a school nurse, a health clinic nurse at the Rock Island Arsenal, an occupational health nurse with WorkFitness, and an occupational health nurse at John Deere Davenport Works.

Beyond her profession, Gaycha was a highly skilled quilter and seamstress, creating countless quilts for her family and for Habitat for Humanity home recipients. She had a deep passion for genealogy and carefully traced both her and Ed’s family histories back to their roots. She enjoyed her Silver Sneakers classes at the West YMCA and cherished regular lunches with her nursing school friends and Davenport High School classmates. Known fondly as the neighborhood “triage nurse,” Gaycha was always ready to help care for sick or injured neighbors up and down the street. She was fiercely loyal to her family, a devoted wife and mother, a loving grandmother, and a wonderful friend.

Gaycha is survived by her children, Michele O’Brien and Terryl Mayhew; her grandchildren, Nick and Shannon O’Brien, and Sophia and Nic Jarvis; her great-granddaughter, Harleigh O’Brien, with another great-granddaughter expected in May 2026; and her niece, Maggie Lopez.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Judith Rodts; her nephew, Justin Rodts; and her beloved husband, Garvin Mayhew.

Gaycha was deeply loved and will be missed always.

Cremation will be directed by Mississippi Valley Cremation and Direct Burial, Moline, IL.

Family and friends are invited to share memories and express condolences on her memory page at www.mvcremation.com.