Minden author and historian Wynne Maule, who died early Monday in his home, preserved the names of many of the town's inhabitants and in doing so preserved his own name for posterity.
Born July 17, 1925, to Mono National Forest Supervisor William Maule and Gardnerville teacher Rose Todd Maule, he was the youngest of three children.
Maule's mother had health problems and had to spend winters in San Francisco. She died Feb. 7, 1931, when he was 5.
Maule graduated from Douglas County High School in Gardnerville in 1943 and signed up to serve in the U.S. Navy through the end of the war in 1946. Following in his father's footsteps, he enrolled in Oregon State University's forestry program and went to work for the U.S. Forest Service upon his graduation in 1950.
It was in 1950 that he met and married the former Arlene "Patsy" Hand Maule of Reno.
According to the biography appearing in his book "Minden, Nevada: the Story of a Unique Town," he served in many western forests before becoming supervisor of Olympic National Forest. His last assignment for the Forest Service was as Assistant Director of Lands in Washington, D.C. He retired from the Forest Service in 1980 and returned home to Minden.
He was involved with St. Mark's Methodist Church in Santa Barbara, past president of Pollock Pines Rotary & Minden Rotary, member of the Society of American Foresters, Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, and the Historical Society of Douglas County.
Minden Town Board chairman Ross Chichester honored Maule at Wednesday's meeting, expressing condolences to the family.
"The town lost a lot, too," Chichester said.
Maule was a member of the planning committee for the Minden Centennial. Chichester said he brought one of the silver medallions commemorating the event to the Maules' residence on Monday, just after he died.
"Mr. Maule was very instrumental in our committee meetings for the centennial celebrations," Chichester said. "His passing represents a great loss to the town's institutional memory."
He was preceded in death by his sister, Maris Maule Bergevin, and brother, Lockley Todd Maule. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Arlene "Patsy" Maule; daughters Karen (Bill) Lee of Shelton, Wash. and Nancy (Dan) Draper of Lacey, Wash.; son Andy (Laura) Maule of Lakewood, Calif.; three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A private family service has been held. Cremation arrangements have been entrusted to Walton's Douglas County Mortuary.
