Dennis Ray Mauney was born March 1, 1943 in Eugene, Oregon. He passed away after a long, courageous battle with leukemia on August 26, 2018, at his home in Ferndale comforted by family and friends.

Dennis lived his younger days in the Oregon towns of Springfield, Merrill and Malin, where his father, Floyd, was the superintendent of schools, and where Dennis and his brothers, Gary and Lynn, formed their lifelong obsession with fishing and hunting.

In the early 1950s, John Huntington, the father of Dennis’s mother, Bonita, and the patriarch of a large family, bought a saw mill in the Mattole Valley and moved to Honeydew. The Mauney family and countless other relatives joined him in 1952, and Floyd became the bookkeeper for the mill. (Floyd died suddenly at the age of 51 in 1963.)

Dennis, his older brothers, and his sister, Rose, enrolled in the Ferndale schools. Dennis excelled in basketball and baseball, and, in high school, was student body vice-president and president of the student council his senior year (1960-61).

After graduating from Ferndale High School, Dennis enrolled at Humboldt State, majored in art and history, and graduated in 1965. When his plan to enlist in the U.S. Navy and become a pilot ended with a military rejection for medical reasons, Dennis moved to Lake Tahoe with his friends, Gerry Weed and Jim Smith, and worked at Sugar Bowl ski resort. After two years, he returned to Ferndale and Humboldt State, and received a special secondary teaching credential in 1968—the same year he married Pamela Anderson of Ferndale.

For 30 years, Dennis was the beloved art and jewelry-making teacher at Arcata High School. He took great pride in the work of his students, which included the annual production of a renowned pen-and-ink student art calendar and art exhibits of student work at many regional locations. He spent summer vacations dedicated to endless DIY home-remodeling projects and yard improvements, as well as traveling around the northwest in a motor home with Pam and their son, Patrick, going from one fishing spot to the next.

After his retirement in 1998, Dennis operated the small alfalfa ranch near Christmas Valley, Oregon that he and Pam had purchased in 1992. He loved the oasis with the cool green lawns that he created in the high desert and he worked hard preparing it for the annual 4th of July family-and-friends reunion. In the fall, the focus was on epic deer and elk hunting adventures with several generations of Mauneys, and great friends, old and new.

Dennis’s one-of-a-kind sense of humor will be missed by everyone.

Dennis is predeceased by his older brother, Gary; brothers-in-law, Jay and Landy Anderson, and Michael Glimpse.

He is survived by his wife, Pam; son, Patrick, and daughter-in-law, Sarah (Renner), and their children, his beloved granddaughters, Carly and Grace; lifelong hunting partner, Lynn, and his wife, Toni (Goff); his sister and laughing partner, Rose Hoaas; and sister-in-law, Joni Yorks. He will also be missed by his nephews Brad (Kim Myers), Ed (Laurie), and Sean (Siggry) Mauney; Ryan and Jayce Anderson; nieces, TeeLyn Mauney, Ann Martin (Ross), Sherri McCovey (Emilio Toliver), Chrissie Keeney (Garrett), Torie Mather (Justin), Brianna McCovey (Tiffany Blanton) and Ashley Primafiore. The large group of people he loved included special cousins Paul Carulli, Paul and Kay Jespersen and family, Terry Mauney, Bob and Debbie Gilmore, Randy and Kathy Graves and family, Carolann and Terry Stoops; and family friends, Cherie Avila and Kim Salazar.

In Dennis’s final days, the kind people from Hospice of Humboldt, Pastor Ty Bramwell, and Rosanna Bruhnke were all a godsend. We cannot express our gratitude enough to them, and to many others.

We also are grateful for his loyal Ferndale friends: Rich Brazil, Jim Smith, George Enos, Sue Laris, and Bill Anderson; and his Christmas Valley friends: Larry and Terry Turnbow and Jason Raines, who helped Dennis immensely over the years, and who continue to look after his ranch. And last, but not least, his faithful canine companion, Lizzie.

A celebration of life will be held for his family, friends, former students and colleagues at the Turf Room, Humboldt County Fairgrounds, on September 22, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Hospice of Humboldt.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Dennis Mauney’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.