Miesse Malcom Mauger, six months shy of his 80th birthday, died May 19, 2015, at his home in Fayston, Vermont. He was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Myatt.
After a long, courageous battle with cancer, Miesse leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Elsa (Loemker) Mauger; his son, Michael Mauger; his two daughters, Lori Severin and Tracy Toler; his nieces, Pricilla Isear and Amy Volkert; five grandchildren, Matthew, Luke, Dane, John and Madison; and many close friends.
Born in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of Roscoe Paul and Mary Margaret (Miesse) Mauger, he was the great grandson of Matthew Monroe Miesse, the noted developer of the 1897 “Success” tomato (a genetic precursor to the beefsteak tomato varieties of today).
In his early years, Miesse worked on the family farm. After graduating from Lancaster High School in 1953, he attended the University of Idaho where he studied forestry. A passion for flying, however, led Miesse on an exciting journey that included formal flight training at Embry Riddle, crop dusting in South America and helicopter flying for the U.S. Army in Korea. After an honorable discharge, he piloted choppers as a civilian contractor for Shell Oil offshore drilling, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, fire and rescue and the Sierra Club. A perfect score on the airline Stanine test resulted in a 30-year carrier as an international pilot: first for Pan American Airline (20 years) and United Airlines (10 years). He retired in 1996, spending his remaining years perfecting his “killer” drop shot on the tennis court and, upon occasion, fishing for crappie, bass and walleye on Rice Lake in Wisconsin.
Miesse met his wife, Elsa Loemker, on the beach of Panama City in 1957. They were married the following year in Atlanta, Georgia. Their life together included homes in Illinois, Seoul, Korea, D.C., Texas, California, Oregon, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, Florida and Vermont. Throughout the journey, Miesse remained a diehard fan of the Ohio State University Buckeyes and the Chicago Cubs. He is sorely missed by all who knew him.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, June 20, at 5 p.m. at a location to be announced.
