Obituaries: Maxine Dee Ett Prauss (Aug. 12 1926 – Feb. 16, 2011)

Maxine was born Aug. 12, 1926, and passed peacefully at home on Feb. 16, 2011. Max was born and raised in a cattle ranching family in Lyons, Colo. She came west as a young woman and settled in Oregon. It was there that she met and fell in love with Ed Prauss, who was to become her life-long husband and soul mate.

After they were married, Ed and Max settled in Oregon, where Ed first began working as a logger. After several years, Ed, Max and their family moved to Blocksburg in eastern Humboldt County, where Ed continued to work as a logger. In the 1950s they finally moved to and settled in Crescent City, where they stayed for the remainder of their lives. Ed became owner of Prauss Logging and Max’s life was consumed with the joy of raising her girls and working full time as a homemaker. Together she and Ed raised two daughters, Laurie and Shirley. Education was highly valued by Max and Ed, and it was a source of enormous pride that both daughters and their children were university graduates.

Following the birth of Max’s three grandchildren, Kristen Taylor, Kacey Beye and Ethan Miller, “Mom” was affectionately renamed “Nana.” Her beautiful smile cast an illuminating glow that could light up your heart. She was quick to laugh and generous with that wonderful smile.

Nana had a deft hand in the kitchen whether it was preparing delicious dinners daily for her family or rising early to stuff the turkeys and bake numerous pies and rolls for holiday meals with the extended family. Her exceptional breads, cakes, cookies and pies imprinted her family with delicious memories.

Nana loved working in her flower gardens. In her grandchildren’s youth the huge rural yard and garden that gave way to the giants of the redwood forest was a magical playground that most children could only dream of. To play on a soft warm Easter in such lush acres with recently hatched fuzzy yellow ducklings amongst the bamboo, flowers, and baby tears while Nana worked in the garden was a place of true childhood nirvana.

Nana was a self-taught expert at the disappearing art of hand-stitched quilting. Through her incredible patience, attention to minute detail, and creative vision in design and color, she completed numerous masterful bed cover quilts for her family members throughout her lifetime.

Nana loved sharing her many creative gifts with her family, and nothing in her life gave her as much joy or was as important to her as her family. Her love for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and husband of 64 years was total and without compromise.

Maxine is survived by her husband, Ed, her sister, Wilma Gross, her in-laws Millie and Fred Sargent, Joan Prauss, Verla Borges, Melvin Hamner, her daughter, Laurie Edgington, her daughter, Shirley Miller and her husband, Stephen, her granddaughter Kristen Taylor and her husband Mark, her granddaughter Kacey Beye and her husband Eric, her grandson Ethan Miller and his wife Raeni, great-granddaughters Karina, Kenya, and Kacey Taylor and Grace Beye. She is also survived by very dear extended family too numerous to list.

There will be a family celebration of Maxine’s life when flowers will be blooming in the spring.

— Submitted by Wier’s Mortuary Chapel