Obituary of Edward F Maze

Edward F. Maze February 28, 1925 - July 28, 2014 Ed shared his childhood with two brothers-John Carl, his “younger” twin and Gerard (Jerry) Edward, the elder by three years. Ed attended St. Isidore’s Catholic School and then graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1942. After graduation he attended Grand Rapids College studying pre-med with aspirations to become a dentist. However the war changed Ed’s course and he enlisted in the Army Air Corp on June 30, 1943. The Corp sent him to State Teachers College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where he enrolled in college courses and flight training. Flight training led him to become a licensed small plane pilot, a pastime he then pursued after the war as a plane owner. Ed’s military training continued at Victorville Army Air Field in Victorville, California where he became a bombardier for Fairchild PT-19 planes. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on December 23, 1944, Ed was stationed at the airbase in Roswell, New Mexico until he was honorably discharged on December 7, 1945. Ed legally changed his name to Maze on February 26, 1946. He studied surveying and general engineering at San Bernardino Valley College and obtained his California General Engineering Contractors License in 1950. During this period in his life, he led community charity efforts for the Red Cross as well as community beautification events. Although he did not have any biological children of his own, his love of children was apparent as early as 1949 when he noted that, “If everyone worked as hard as the children did in cleaning up the city, it would be no problem to make San Bernardino shine!” In 1974 he “retired” from California construction and moved to Oregon. Ed designed and acted as the general contractor on the construction of his West Linn home near the banks of the Willamette River in 1980. During his retirement he built eleven elaborate model ships that demonstrate his attention to detail and echo back to his dentistry aspirations. In the mid-90s Ed’s marriage ended. During this transition Ed took the opportunity to establish a wonderful relationship with his cross-street neighbors, George and Mary Ann Schmeltzer. Ed often found himself at their home sharing an evening meal and dispensing business advice. Ed was preceded in death by his parents; his two brothers Jerry and John; and John’s daughter Patricia. He is survived by his wife Gayle; his children by marriage Harry, Courtney, Charles and Beth Brod; and also the offspring of Bill Brod (Gayle’s first husband), Daniela Brod and Tracy Hyland, and Tracy’s husband Peter Hyland. Ed is also survived by members of his Mazurkiewicz family. Survivors include brother John’s sons, John Jr., David, Frank and Edward; and daughter, Phyllis Krueger. Survivors of brother Jerry include Gerald (Jerry) and Cynthia Walters. A celebration of Ed and Gayle's lives was held on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the Museum of the Oregon Territory in the Tumwater room located at 211 Tumwater Drive, Oregon City, Oregon. Service Information