Noteworthy home
Published 2:58 pm Monday, July 17, 2017
The home of Cheryl and Earl Mayo sits on almost three acres at the end of Sunshine Street in DeQuincy.
In 1966, Cheryl Marcantel walked into a friend’s house where Earl Mayo was playing the guitar.
She had never seen him before, and the first thing she said to him was, “you’re not going to the right chord.”
Cheryl had been playing musical instruments and singing gospel music with The Marcantel Family — her mother, Lucy and brothers, Sidney and Winston — from childhood.
He claims it was just her way of flirting. She claims the playing made her cringe.
Whether the note was right or wrong, we will never know. Earl and Cheryl soon married. When they relay the story of their first meeting, they shake their heads, smile and look at each other with twinkling eyes like honeymooners. This couple’s love of laughter and appreciation of music, family and each other help make their house a home.
The front porch has two swings. The back has one. All are from loved ones no longer here: Cheryl’s grandmother, mother and brother.
In 1994 Earl and Cheryl Mayo “got a hankering for a new house,” and built the one they live in now.
“We would ride around and look for property,” Cheryl said.
They almost missed the small, hard-to-read “For Sale” sign on their 2.7 acres at the end of a cul-de-sac in a quiet DeQuincy neighborhood.
DeQuincy is considered a bedroom community outside of Lake Charles and Sulphur. It is located on Hwy. 27 about a 15-minute drive from Sulphur.
She found a house and a floorplan she liked in a magazine, and they hired a draftsman to create the blueprint.
Earl and Cheryl selfcontracted the house, and they did a good deal of work themselves, in perfect harmony when it came to what the house would look like and how it would be finished and furnished.
They wanted plenty of room. They wanted the beautiful brick-fronted woodburning fireplace in the family room. They wanted a floor plan that allowed them to comfortably entertain guests. They wanted a music room. For many years, the Mayo house was the place where fellow church members gathered for the holidays and
sang favorites as Cheryl played the piano. In the home’s open foyer, an antique bookshelf holds antique and vintage song books from Cheryl’s mother.
“She had them just like that, in that shelf, in her house,” Cheryl said.
Huey Bushnell built the 3,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath two-story house. It’s over 6,000-square feet under roof.
“We were here every day looking at everything and cleaning up,” Cheryl said.
The only regret they have about the house is that in the ‘90s, there wasn’t as much of a selection of flooring materials as there is today. The floors are oak.
“I’m one of these people who like to get something the way I like it and leave it,” said Cheryl.
“I don’t like change,” Earl chimed in.
They have keepsakes and collections such as Waterford crystal. This was an annual gift to Earl and Cheryl from Jefferson Smurfit, where Earl was plant manager. Cheryl’s father, Issac, gave her her first piece of vintage Depression glass. A small glass-fronted display in the kitchen holds a mishmash of vintage dishes and small gifts collected more for sentiment than value.
Earl and Cheryl don’t like a lot of extra “stuff.” The house isn’t over-decorated.
The kitchen is spacious and has plenty of natural light.
The front and back porches — one of the house’s best features — run the length of the house. On the front porch are two swings, handed down from Cheryl’s mother and her “Granny Cooper.” The swing on the back porch belonged to Cheryl’s brother, Winston. The view from either porch couldn’t be more peaceful, a fresh-cut lawn with well-maintained landscaping, including flowers for color and scattered elms and maples. The large redbud that Cheryl planted years ago heralds spring in Southwest Louisiana.
As comfortable as they are in their home of 23 years, and despite their aversion to change, Earl and Cheryl do think about downsizing. They especially relish the idea of less yard work.
“If we ever sold this house, someone would get a brandspanking-new stove,” Earl said, grinning and casting a sideways glance in Cheryl’s direction. “Well, it’s 23 years old, but it’s barely been used.”
“When I was growing up, my mother did all the cooking,” Cheryl said. “My sisters and I did the cleaning. I learned to cook but I despise it to this day,” she said, chuckling.
His gibes and her perfectly timed comebacks — all delivered with affirming smiles — is a type of music that can only be performed by couples who have had plenty of practice. It’s not harmony if everyone sings the same note.