NEWPORT — Leslie Samuel Mays,

a beloved school teacher and sergeant in the United States Air Force, died Friday, October 15, 2021, in Newport, Arkansas.

Born to the late Booker and Gladys Denson Mays on August 20, 1943, Leslie was a lifelong member of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Newport.

Leslie attended J.N. Hout Elementary School and W.F. Branch High School, in Newport, where he graduated in 1961. He attended Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., before joining the United States Air Force in 1965. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, he was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force on December 20, 1968. He was then employed by the Cheverolet division of General Motors in Flint, Mich., before returning to Little Rock, Ark., to complete his degree in Elementary Education at Philander Smith College in May, 1974. Later he receieved a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Ark.

He was employed by the Newport Special School District as a math teacher, at the beginning of the 1974-75 school year, where he remained until he retired. As a school community, Leslie is fondly remembered for his 26 years of encouraging countless students to embrace the problem solving challenges of mathematics.

Leslie was preceded in death by his parents, Booker and Gladys Mays; and his brother, Wayman Allen Mays.

He will be deeply missed by his sister, Charlotte James, of Little Rock, Ark.; his aunts, Mary Wilson, Martha Coburn, and Glenn (James) Moore, all of Flint, Mich.; niece and goddaughter, Annette (Chris) Stewart, of Portage, Mich.; nephew, Russell (Ericka) Mays, Benton, Ark.; nieces, Paedra Mays, San Diego, Calif.; Evelyn James, Little Rock, Ark.; Trisha (Phillip) Mays-Cummings, Bentonville, Ark.; Natalie James, Little Rock, Ark.; and Alexandria James of Little Rock, Ark.; great-nephews, Allen, Eric, Nathan, Wesley, and Patrick; and great-nieces, Amethyst, Emani, Lavender, Nalia, November, and Audrey.

Leslie Samuel Mays set an inspiring example, not just as an educator, but as a friend, mentor, and lifelong learner. Many students were impacted during the 26 years of his presence in the classrooms and hallways of our schools.