We are saddened by the loss of Ted Mayenburg, who passed peacefully on Christmas Eve with his family around him.
Ted was born in Uithoorn, Netherlands, one of 10 children to Willem and Maria. From an early age, he was interested in mechanics; he built his first motorcycle when he was only 12 years old.
Ted went to work at Big Ten Motors after a short stint in the mill because, he explained, "they didn't need a mechanic wrapping paper rolls."
He drove the wrecker for Powell River Motors and enjoyed every minute of it, sometimes taking his kids and Evelyn along for the ride. Eventually Ted went to work as a mechanic for Powell River School District. The buses very seldom had a snow day when Ted was there to put the chains on.
In 1986, Evelyn suffered a debilitating stroke and Ted's main focus in life became caring for her. Over the next 14 years, they spent many of their days volunteering at ECU, with the Hospital Auxiliary and the Red Cross Cupboard. Ted drove the bus for ECU and Olive Devaud Residence for many years, and worked and volunteered with Medichair and in many other ways around town until his own health started to decline.
Evelyn passed away in 2000 and Ted was lost for a while until he met the second love of his life, Laurina [photo]. They shared 24 happy years together.
Ted and Evelyn had three children together: Linda, Deloris and Clayton. In 2020, Ted also found a daughter previously unknown to him. Judy and her husband Tor, their children and grandchildren were welcomed into the family with open arms and big smiles. Ted always said, "a kid should know who their father is."
Ted is survived by his wife Laurina, his children Judy (Tor), Deloris (Kevin) and Clayton (Maria), his son-in-law Raymond, and grandkids Rebecca, Kurt, Skyler, Denise, Krista, Curtis and Hailey, Laurina's children Nina (Troy) and Mark (Kate), grandkids Michael, Melissa, Mitchell and Rachel, and many nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren. Ted is also survived by his brothers Jim, Tom and Gordy. He was predeceased by his daughter Linda, granddaughter Amy, his sisters Anne, Mary, Jane, Martha and Beverly, and his brother Adrian.
In his life, Ted was always ready to help others, whether with car repairs, home repairs or life repairs. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He is where he wants to be now, with Jesus, Evelyn, Linda, Amy and the rest of his family. We're sure his 13 dogs have already found him and are ready for a walk up the mountain.
A memorial service will be held at Westview Baptist Church on Saturday, March 22, at 1 pm. There will be an open mic for anyone who wishes to share a "Ted" story.
