Mavis Lorenz

Mavis Lorenz died peacefully in her home June 30, 2015, surrounded by the natural environment she loved, and in the company of close friends.

Mavis Marie Lorenz was born Dec. 22, 1926, in Mondovi, Wisconsin, to Emil and Clara Lorenz. She completed her undergraduate degree at LaCrosse State College in Wisconsin and her master's degree at the University of Washington. In 1954 she began a 36-year career in the physical education department at the University of Montana.

Mavis was a force of nature. If the World Meteorological Organization needs another "M" name for tropical storms, "Mavis" would be a good choice. As a child during the Depression, she hunted squirrels for the family table, and she grew up to be a big-game hunter, bagging deer, elk, bighorn sheep and even caribou in Alaska. She managed the University of Montana's ski school for many years and served on Snowbowl's ski patrol.

She hiked and climbed mountains in the U.S., Europe and Asia, including climbing to the base camp at Pakistan's K2. She toured Yugoslavia by bicycle, and at age 65, she rode a motorcycle from Missoula to Mexico – alone – before joining a group of like-minded bikers on a tour. She won awards for throwing the javelin in senior competitions. At a dinner party when she was 77, someone asked her if she was still skiing. "Oh, yes," she replied. "But I don't race anymore." She continued hunting until her early 80s, usually by herself; she would leave a map of her planned route on her kitchen table in case she did not return from a hunt and her neighbors needed to send a search party to find her.

Mavis gave up hunting when her eyesight declined; similarly, she gave up driving when she no longer thought she could do it safely, and gave her truck to Northwest Connections, a school in Condon. After she stopped driving, she was a common presence around Missoula on her bicycle and then her three-wheeler. She donated her home to Five Valleys Land Trust with the caveat that she could live in it until her death. Failing eyesight, knee and hip replacements, autoimmune disease and a series of seizures and strokes took their toll on her in the last years of her life and while she sometimes lamented the fact that her physical strength was diminishing, she repeatedly said, "I have my memories."

In those last years, she enjoyed the companionship of her cats, Big Boy and Putski, and reveled in visits from neighbors, friends, former students, and reporters and writers who sought her out. "I've gotten a lot of ink," she often proclaimed proudly. She felt especially close to her nephew Dennis Devine and his wife Carolyn in California and her great-nephews David Devine and Dan Devine and their families, in Minnesota and Delaware, respectively. A telephone call from any of them would turn up the happiness factor in Mavis' day.

Mavis is survived by Carolyn Devine, David Devine and Dan Devine and their families; nephew Rick Devine and his family; and is remembered by many friends and former students. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Berdine Devine and Evelyn Hall; and her nephew, Dennis Devine. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date.
Read Mavis Lorenz's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.