Maurice was truly a renaissance man. He was a life-long scholar with a special interest in both theology and history. He was an author of poetry, Christmas stories, and two full-length novels, Snake River Water Wheel and Harken’s Kids. He wrote music, especially hymns. He had a magnificent bass singing voice with a range of 4 octaves. He sang and toured in school quartets in high school, college, and graduate school. He was encouraged in his youth to sing professionally, but he felt his calling in the church was more important. He was born missing fingers on his left hand, but that never held him back in any endeavor. He was an accomplished artist working in water color, oils, acrylics, and colored pencils. He was skilled at making wood/linoleum block prints, and in calligraphy. He learned carpentry from his father and built furniture in addition to carving bas-relief art. He built a magnificent Victorian 5 ft tall dollhouse from scratch for his much-delighted daughters. Maurice was almost 6′ 7″ tall and he could never find hats large enough, so he taught himself to sew and made his own. He was willing to try any craft or skill.
Maurice loved to travel. Every time he went out his front door, he approached it as adventure. He was just as comfortable in Paris street cafés and museums as he was in the Idaho wilderness. He was a consummate woodsman. When he was younger, he took church youth groups on long backpacking trips. One of his favorite places to camp was Trinity Lakes. He camped there with his family as a child and continued to take his own children there. He loved hunting and fishing, and with one hand tied his own flies for fly fishing.
Maurice will probably be best remembered for his humor which he used to express joy, lighten tense situations, and even to express compassion. He had a lightness of heart and a joy in living that never failed him even in times of trouble and ill health.
Maurice grew up in the Nampa Disciples of Christ, First Christian Church where his father was minister, and it was there he met his wife, Shirley. Maurice graduated from Nampa high school in 1949, and he and Shirley both attended Northwest Christian College in Eugene Oregon. They married while still attending classes on September 16, 1952. Maurice earned his Bachelor of Theology Degree from NCC in 1954.
His first full-time ministry began right after graduation in Orting, Washington. In 1957 he took up his next ministerial position in Chelan, Washington. In 1963, Maurice received a scholarship to attend graduate school at Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity school. While attending classes, he was the pastor of Christian churches in Waurika, Oklahoma and Archer City, Texas. After earning his post-graduate degree in theology, he became minister of the Christian Church in Santa Paula California in 1967. In 1969 he took a break from the ministry, moved back to Nampa and earned a teaching certificate from Boise State University. He taught at the Caldwell Migrant Center Head Start in the 1970s. He also resumed preaching part-time at the Christian Church in Bliss, Idaho. In the 1980s he became pastor of the Christian Church in Jerome, Idaho, followed by positions at the Caldwell Treasure Valley Christian Church, and finally the Homedale Christian church where he was pastor for almost 20 years up to the time of his death.
On Sunday December 26th at 11:00 a.m., the Homedale Christian Church will have their annual candlelit Service of Remembrance. Maurice’s family will be remembering him at that service, and all are invited to attend to remember Maurice, but also to light a candle to remember their own departed loved ones in this holiday season.
Published by Idaho Press Tribune from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, 2021.
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