Henry A Mauer's Obituary
Lt. Col. Henry A. Mauer, USAF (Ret.)
July 2, 1930 – November 6, 2019
Our dad, Hank, had three great and enduring loves in his life: our mother, Helen; his kids, aka The Magnificent Seven; and a succession of hairy children (who might have been mistaken for dogs), most recently a couple of Bijon Frises named Bixby and Pixie. The Seahawks came in a close fourth. He was a season ticket holder for more than 30 years. Dad would have been very happy if that were all anyone knew about him, but there was much more to him than that.
Born Henry Alfred Mauer, Jr. to Henry Sr. and Lillian Mauer on July 2, 1930, in Weehawken, Hank spent his entire early life in New Jersey. It was in Jersey City that, as a five year old, he met Helen Evelyn Norris. They married in 1952 and were married for nearly 34 years before Helen passed away in 1986. Hank is survived by the seven children of that union: Marilyn Sue Mauer (John Hedtke and three children by a prior marriage); Henry William Mauer (Sandra and two children); Barbara Elizabeth Mauer Miller (Dan and three children); Stephen Louis Mauer (Andrea and two children); Nancy Jeanne Mauer Laurendeau (four children); Vineta Anne Mauer Nicholson (Harry and three children); and Karen Andrea Mauer Smith (Russ and two children). He was a loving grandfather to 19 and great-grandfather to 18.
Other people especially dear to Hank are Felicity Cross D’Aboites, daughter of his heart and sister to the rest of us; Christy O’Loughlin, cherished colleague and devoted musical theater companion; Arlene Hand, another chosen daughter and sister; and his cousins, Robert Umgelter, Annetta Umgelter and Catherine Riley. He was a close friend to Walter Ahnert.
Hank enrolled in the USAF ROTC at Columbia University. He graduated with a degree in Psychology. He was commissioned in the USAF and served for 20 years, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was trained as a navigator in the days before GPS. Unfortunately, those skills did not transfer to ground navigation, as we learned during the infamous cross country World‘s Fair road trip in 1964.
Over the course of his career, Hank and family were assigned to bases in Texas, New Jersey, Okinawa, Oklahoma, Germany, and Washington State. Hank also served an unaccompanied tour in Thailand. He and Helen made sure to expose their brood to many cultural and travel experiences, beginning with a sea cruise to the Philippines from Japan followed by a harrowing drive to the resort at Baggio, and continuing with cross country camping trips in the US and Europe. He spent countless hours untangling fishing tackle and pulling hooks out of whining kids, all the while keeping an eye out for copperhead and water moccasin snakes. His patience was endless, but very loud.
During the four years of his assignment in Germany, Hank furthered his education, acquiring Master’s Degrees in Psychology and Counseling from the University of Maryland and from Ball State University. Hank's love of reading and learning is shared by all of his children. He also taught us to cheat at board games, but no one is perfect.
After their move to Washington, Hank and Helen bought a family home in Fircrest. They established a base camp at Lake Cushman and spent weekends and holidays enjoying the beauty of the Olympic
Peninsula. They decided to remain in Fircrest when Hank retired from the USAF. Hank worked as an auditor for the State of Washington Department of Social and Health services. When he retired from that job, he continued his public service as a member of the City of Fircrest Planning Commission. He left that position when he moved to The Ranch Condominiums in University Place in 1999. While his health allowed, he kept active as a member of the Condominium Board. He also served as editor of the Condominium Association newsletter. He provided that same service to the Tacoma Pierce County Ostomy Association and for other charitable causes from time to time. Even when he passed those duties on, he remained fascinated by computers and was constantly seeking new and better equipment to curse at.
Hank and Helen loved to play bridge, bowl, and attend musical theatre. In his later years, Hank did not have much occasion for the first two activities (one-legged bowlers not being in high demand, as he pointed out), but he and Christy O’Loughin shared season tickets to Tacoma Musical Playhouse for many pleasant years.
If you want to hear about Hank’s life in his own words, visit Story Corps for his interview with granddaughter Hannah Smith Ward. https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/play-the-hand-thats-dealt-you
Dad relied on all of us for help and comfort in his final years and months, but we want to acknowledge the extraordinary attention he received from our brother Steve and his wife Andy. Karen and Russ Smith and Barbara and Dan Miller also went the extra mile. We thank the staff at Tacoma Lutheran Home for their attention and service to our father.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a no-kill animal shelter, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, or your own favorite charity.
At Hank’s request, there will be no funeral service. A Celebration of Life will take place at The Environmental Services Building, 9850 64th St. W. , University Place, Washington, at 2 PM on January 18, 2020.
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