Michael William Mauser

1950 - 2025

Michael William Mauser

August 11, 1950 - February 6, 2025

Michael Mauser, 74, was surrounded by loving family members when he passed away on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Michael (Mike) Mauser was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 11, 1950. He was the oldest of seven children born to Kathleen Kerrigan and William Mauser. Mike spent his youth in Cleveland and in Albuquerque, NM, where he graduated from Manzano High School.

Mike received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1974. He later earned a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995.

Mike married Helen M. Hankins on October 7, 1976, on land where he built their first home outside of Durango, Colo. Mike and Helen loved spending time with Rotary Youth Exchange students, and between 1990 and 2007, they hosted eleven young people -- from Indonesia, Mexico, South America, South Africa and Western Europe. In their 48½ years of marriage, they enjoyed interacting with both their families and with youth from Scout troops, Boys &Girls Clubs, 4-H, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Mike especially delighted in helping kids learn to make crystal radio sets at the Great Basin College's Kids College in Elko, Nev. Mike and Helen were best friends and lovers for more than fifty years. Often, they could be seen holding hands while out walking or participating in various events. Together they had many outdoor adventures and visited nearly sixty countries.

Mike worked as an engineer for New Mexico Public Service Company in Albuquerque in his early career. He later supported himself as a carpenter while completing his certification from Fort Lewis College in Durango to teach math and science at the secondary-school level. Shortly after receiving this certification, Mike taught for six months at an alternative high school on the Zuni Reservation, south of Grants, New Mexico. In 1980, Mike accepted a position with the U.S. Public Health Service/Indian Health Service in Anchorage, Alaska. During the next nearly nine years, he worked with Athabascan and Eskimo villages throughout Alaska. He initially trained local Native operators in the function and maintenance of their water and sanitation systems. Later Mike designed many washaterias, sewage treatment systems, as well as a dam in Metlakatla, Ala.

From Alaska, Mike transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service in Bethesda, Md, where he was the energy engineer for the National Institutes of Health. He was responsible for monitoring and management of energy use in the 300 buildings on the NIH campus. While working on his Ph.D. in Fairbanks, Mike worked for Roen Engineering and various civil and mechanical engineering projects, including one in Antarctica. After moving to Elko, Nev., in 1995, Mike worked for Newmont Gold Mining Company for ten years in operations and maintenance in the North area and in gold-recovery-related work at Mill 6.

While working for the U.S. Public Health Service, Mike accepted two special details. One was to train Peace Corps volunteers destined to work in the Philippines about the construction of spring boxes and ferrocement tanks. He also worked with the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) to evaluate the movement of ice on building foundations in Greenland.

After retirement, Mike really enjoyed building a home for him and Helen in Spring Creek, outside of Elko. He also loved working at the Phoenix Science Museum (2007-2010) and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (2010-2013) where he designed exhibits and developed projects for kids to learn about science. During these periods, Mike also wrote a book that includes many projects to help children learn about their five senses. In addition, he published articles and videos which are on YouTube about how to see inside one's own eye, and worked with TED Talks on a script covering the same subject.

Mike loved Rotary International and contributed time, effort and funds to Rotary projects. He and Helen visited the site of a potential orphanage in Panama, assisted with the construction of rocket stoves in Guatemala, and supported and visited a liver cancer treatment project in Egypt, among others.

In 2016, Mike and Helen walked over 500 miles from St. John at the Foot of the Pass in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain as a fundraiser to support Rotary's long-term effort to eradicate polio worldwide.

In 2022, Mike and Helen (with another Rotarian) walked in Italy from Florence to Rome to support the same objective. In total they raised nearly $50,000. With the 2:1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this resulted in nearly $150,000 to fight polio.

Mike joined Toastmasters in 1980 and soon developed into a fine public speaker. Some of his early speeches dealt with ice worms and wooly mammoths. In more recent years, Mike delivered thought-provoking speeches about the importance of civil discourse and truth in public speaking and journalism. With his long experience and excellence in speaking, Mike was a mentor to all who joined Toastmasters. With his wide-ranging knowledge, he presented speeches on subjects that opened new vistas for those who were a part of his club. From ice worms to civil discourse to the nature of color, there was no subject that was too difficult or esoteric to stop him. He was intensely interested in many aspects of science and society.

Mike was preceded in death by his father, William Matthew Mauser; his mother, Kathleen Kerrigan Mauser; and his sister, Margaret Mauser Wilson. He is survived by his wife, Helen Hankins; his sister, Maureen Kelly and her husband, Dan; his sister, Dolores Chavez and her husband, Lorenzo; his brother, Bill (William) and his wife, Patter; his brother, Frank and his wife, Deanne; his brother, Joe and his wife, Melissa; his brother-in-law, Karl Wilson; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mike was a man who loved the out-of-doors. A Celebration of Life for Mike will be held in the late spring or early summer of 2025 at an outdoor location.

Donations can be made in memory of Michael W. Mauser and the causes he believed in: The Rotary Foundation https://my.rotary.org/en/donate Select PolioPlus or any other Rotary program.

The Rotary Foundation 14280 Collection Center Drive Chicago IL 60693 Or to: The Nature Conservancy https://preserve.nature.org/

The Nature Conservancy Attn: Treasury 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington VA 22203 Or to: Oregon California Trails Association https://octa-trails.org/donate-to-octa/

Oregon-California Trails Association

P.O. Box 1019 Independence MO 64051