July 1, 1921 - Nov. 18, 2015
Minard Henry Maus was born July 1, 1921, to Nicholas and Agnes (Vetsch) Maus of Golva, North Dakota. The eighth of 12 children, he attended Hillside Country School and graduated from Golva High School in 1939.
He attended Dickinson (ND) State Teachers College in preparation for a long distinguished career as an educator. Minard (nicknamed “Mick/Mickey Mouse” by his shipmates) joined the US Navy as an Aviation Radio Technician in 1942. He met the love of his life, Donna McCruden, while stationed at Fallon (NV) Naval Air Station. He left the service with a beautiful bride and an Honorable Discharge in the fall of 1945. The couple had two children. In 1946 Mick began his teaching career in an elementary classroom in Hawthorne (NV), advancing to elementary principal after receiving a Master of Education degree from Colorado State College of Education in 1954. He served on numerous committees and boards and served terms as president of the Nevada Elementary Principals Association and the Nevada State Education Association. In 1961 the family moved to Ely (NV), where Mick worked as Assistant Superintendent of White Pine County School District until his first retirement. In 1976 Mick and Donna moved to Port Orford, Oregon, where Mick was Superintendent of Schools until his second retirement. They missed their grandchildren and returned to Nevada (Carson City, 1983, Reno, 1999). Mick became actively involved in building the Retired Public Employees of Nevada (RPEN), serving as a chapter president in 1985 and the state treasurer in 1988. He was also RPEN’s first paid executive director, retiring in 1994 but remaining a chapter member until his passing. Mick never really retired. Mick was a kind and generous man who always looked out for his family. He was respected and admired by all who knew him. His interests included spending time with family and friends, being an Elk and a Lion, gardening, hunting and fishing, horseback riding, big band and western swing dancing, reading, and maintaining a daily routine. Mick passed away peacefully in Reno at age 94, joining Donna, his wife of 63 years. Our beloved Minard Maus will be remembered always as the amazing soul whom we were all so lucky to have in our lives. Mick is survived by his son, Richard Maus (Judy), and grandson Nicholas Maus; his daughter, Sue Anne Sigler (Kim), and grandchildren Jenifer Glick (Kris), Kimberly Kamen (Justin) and Ryan Sigler; and great-grandsons Jayden Glick and Karter Kamen, all of Reno. A memorial service will be held on Saturday,
February 13, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 100 Bishop Manogue Drive, Reno. In lieu of flowers or gifts, memorial donations may be sent to Home on the Range, 16351 Hwy. I-94, Sentinel Butte, ND 58654.