Thomas (Tom) Willard Maupin passed away on April 7, at Harney District Hospital, after suffering a series of heart attacks in recent months.

Tom was born June 21, 1937 in Ontario, to Bob and Mary (Dowell) Maupin. One year later he was joined by his brother Charles. A young Tom, unable to pronounce “brother” gave him the nickname Bud, which stuck for life. A second brother, John, was born in 1942 and sister Mary Anne six years later in 1948. 

Bob was the buckaroo boss for numerous ranches in Malheur and Harney counties which kept a lot of Tom’s childhood on the move. After starting school in Weiser, Idaho, Tom attended class at Sod House, Vale, Drewsey and Pine Creek grade schools. However, most of his later grade school and high school days were spent in the Drewsey/Pine Creek community where Bob was working for the Pine Creek Ranch.

In the fall of 1952, Tom got acquainted with his future wife, Delta Jenkins, as they started their four year stay at Crane Union High School. While in high school, Tom competed in football, track, baseball, and basketball. Tom, Delta and Bud all graduated in 1956.

Following their high school graduation, Tom and Bud enlisted in the United States Air Force in the fall of 1957. On their bus ride to the Boise airport, the duo stopped by the College of Idaho to visit Delta and fellow member of the class of ’56, Mary Opie, neither girl realizing they would go on to marry the Maupin brothers. 

Right away, Tom went to Edwards Air Force Base for Technical School where he was trained in aircraft mechanics. However, for the majority of his Air Force Career he drove visiting commanders and important guests to and from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Discharged on April 8, 1960, Tom came to Drewsey and worked for Francis Miller and Ned Howard. In the summer of that year, Tom found work with Jenkins Brothers Ranch in Diamond. Guitar in hand, Tom made his move on former CUHS classmate and new Diamond School teacher, Delta Jenkins. The couple married at Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Burns, the day after Christmas in 1961. 

Tom and Delta spent their first year married in various cow camps while Tom continued work for Jenkins Brothers. After the summer ended in 1962, Tom and Delta began work for Delta’s grandmother Adele Paul at the ranch Delta grew up on in Virginia Valley. After Mrs. Paul’s death in 1963 they worked for Delta’s patents Tom and Dorothy Jenkins until 1972, when Tom and Delta leased the ranch from her parents. It was here that their three children were born, Melinda in 1962, Polly in 1964 and Jeff in 1968.

In 1999, Tom and Delta retired to their ranch outside of Crane, where Tom had more time to spend enjoying his hobbies. He had a very impressive gun collection he acquired throughout his life and enjoyed reading and re-reading his collection of Guns and Ammo magazines. He has kept every issue since first subscribing to the publication when his sister Mary Anne was selling them for a grade school fundraiser.

Whether it was his own kids, his nieces and nephews, his grandchildren or his great-grandchildren, Tom loved spending time with kids. He especially enjoyed flying kites, carving pumpkins, dying easter eggs and giving rides in Melinda’s 1956 Willy’s Jeep, or his prized 1955 Ford Fairlane.

Tom is proceeded in death by his parents, Bob and Mary Maupin; brother, Bud Maupin; and a special nephew, Levi Maupin.

He is his survived in life by his wife of 61 years, Delta; brother, John (Renae) Maupin of Crane; sister, Mary Anne (Wess) Mace of Hines; sister-in-law, Mary Maupin of Spokane, Wash.; daughters, Melinda (Bob Wocelka) Maupin of Hines, Polly (Marc) O’Toole of Drewsey; son, Jeff (Erin) Maupin of Riley; grandchildren, Emilee (Luke) McKay of Juntura, Thomas O’Toole of Durham, N.C., John Patrick (Abbey) O’Toole of Drewsey, Sadie O’Toole of Meridian, Idaho, Ian, Cade and Kassidy Maupin of Riley; and great-grandchildren, Xavier and Blaise McKay of Juntura.

A funeral was held Saturday, April 15, at Pioneer Presbyterian Church followed by a graveside service at the Drewsey Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom’s memory to The National Rifle Association in care of La Follette’s Chapel, PO Box 488 Burns, OR 97720.