Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Laurayne Mauss was her ability to tune in to the particular hopes, concerns, and needs of so many people. Yet, she was far too busy, her hands always too full, to bother noticing that her gifts of deep compassion and service were entirely uncommon.
Laurayne was born May 7, 1923, on a small farm near Wexford, Iowa, and for her and her older brother Linus, farm chores became a basic part of their rural rhythm, and church was the focus of social life. As the Great Depression loomed, the family made a living selling eggs and hogs and buying flour and sugar in 50-pound bags to last the winter. Her father and brother would spend the day in the fields and Laurayne and her mother would bring them lunch. Sometimes her mother would help stack hay or shock oats while Laurayne played with a doll in the shade of a tree.
Since school was more than a mile from her home, a long walk for a young girl, Laurayne didn’t start until she was 7 but she loved it! She enjoyed reading anything she could get her hands on and would pester her mom to find words she couldn’t spell.
Helping people in difficulty began at an early age—neighbors, family, even folks as far away as Chicago, where she took the train when she was just 13 to help a friend whose husband had pneumonia and who was expecting her second child. Service became part of her makeup, perhaps because hardship was a characteristic of the time.
She went to Immaculate Conception High School in Lansing, boarding at the convent from Sunday through Friday. Just as Laurayne was about to begin tenth grade, tragedy struck with the unexpected death of her father. Rather than return to school, she stayed home to help her mother and brother on the farm. The next year saw more tragedy, when Linus had to have surgery for a malignant tumor. Linus received treatment and enjoyed a brief remission, but in 1944 he fell ill again and passed away.
Laurayne worked for a time at Lansing’s button factory and in 1945 things started looking up. She began dating Fred Mauss that winter and the rest is history—a very populous history. In October 1947 they were married. In April of 1948, they bought a small house in New Albin where they lived out their lives and raised their children.
First came the boys—Bob, Ed, Vic, Frank, Dan, and Paul-—and then, almost as if in some mad drive toward symmetry, the girls—Ellen, Rose, Joan, and Jean. These ten people were the pride of Laurayne’s life. In addition to the monumental amount of physical work raising ten children entailed, Laurayne found a way balance guidance and freedom that allowed her children to flourish. Undeniably, a major part of the strength needed to accomplish this came from Laurayne’s deep religious faith. Catholic Mass was an important routine and a little rotating calendar of religious phrases sat in silent support in their kitchen.
In later years, as the children dispersed, Laurayne and Fred enjoyed traveling throughout the country to visit them all and the places they had always longed to see. When Fred was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1998, the focus of Laurayne’s life became preserving the quality of his. After Fred passed in 2006, Laurayne continued living in New Albin, participating in church and community activities until her own health began to fail. Laurayne died on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at the age of 93.
She is survived by her ten children, Bob (Dierdre) Mauss of New Orleans, Louisiana, Ed (Shirley) Mauss of Carver, Minnesota, Vic (Dolly) Mauss of Kennewick, Washington, Frank (Sharon Lukert) of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Dan (Billie) Mauss of Kennewick, Washington, Paul (Kim) Mauss of Onalaska, Wisconsin, Ellen Mauss of Madison, Wisconsin, Rose (John) Borst of San Jose, California, Joan (Tim) LaMoreaux of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Jean Mauss of Des Moines, Iowa; twenty grandchildren and twenty nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Fred on September 26, 2006 and a brother Linus Murphy in 1944.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity that serves people in poverty.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, from 4-7 pm with a Scripture Service at 7:00 pm at the New Albin Community Center, New Albin, Iowa. Visitation will also be held one hour before mass time at the church on Thursday.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am Thursday, March 30, 2017, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, New Albin, Iowa. The Rev. John Moser will be the Celebrant.
Burial will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, New Albin, Iowa.
Condolences may be left with: www.graufuneralhomes.com
Thornburg – Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Lansing, Iowa is in charge of arrangements.