| Birth | March 11, 1910 |
Mae with brother Ralph, About 1917 |
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| Father | Harry Edward Mundwiler | |||||||||
| Mother | Mary Sophie Olson | |||||||||
| Marriage |
Frank Gustave Berger Fritz Schlegel |
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| Death |
March 21, 1991 Mae's ashes were scattered over King's Canyon. |
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| Children |
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Mae raised Arabian horses and was renowned for her performance
in
Endurance Races. The United States Equestrian Federation created the "Pard’ners Award", named for Mae and her horse Pard, that honors the
horse-and-rider team that exemplifies friendship, enthusiasm and
sportsmanship.
IN MEMORY ... Christened Mae Harriet, she was born March 11, 1910 on the family farm in Pleasant Valley, Minnesota. The seventh child of Harry and Mary Mundwiler, as a child she worked on the farm and became enamored with horses. In 1927, Mae graduated from Ortonville, MN High School, braved the big city of Minneapolis to stay with her brother, and become an X-Ray technician, Laboratory technician, and Massage therapist. In July, 1930 she married Frank Berger and moved to Summit, NJ. Her first daughter, Barbara, was born there in November, 1931. In 19401 she moved to Sylmar, CA in the San Fernando Valley, where she worked as a Lab and X-Ray technician. In May, 1943 her second daughter, Judy, was born. In March, 1945 her third daughter, Susan, was born. During the summer of 1946 Judy became ill with rheumatoid arthritis, and after many months of hospitalization Mae decided to put her talents as a massage therapist to work. She moved her children to the desert, first to Lucerne Valley, and then to Tecopa Hot Springs, CA to improve Judy's health. Due to Mae's phenomenal perseverance and devotion, by 1951 Judy was able to walk again and attend school. They moved to Desert Hot Springs, CA and in October 1952 to Cabazon, CA. Following a divorce, Mae was able to realize one of her lifelong dreams of owning Arabian horses on her little ranch in Cabazon. In 1954 she married Fritz Schlegel, drove a school bus, tended and rode her horses. Her first colt she named, "Kanana", realizing another lifelong dream, and he lived until 1968. She continued to breed, raise, train and ride horses throughout her lifetime. Mae participated first in the North American Trail Ride Conference, attending numerous rides and making many friends. Her beloved, and well-known, Desert Partner, "Pard,” was born in 1965. Soon after he was trained she became involved in the Endurance Ride Conference. She and Pard covered countless miles in training, and over 3000 miles of competition riding, winning "best condition" on several occasions. Twice they completed the 100 mile Tevis Cup ride, the first time in 1974 when Mae was a young 64 years old. In 1971, Mae established a mobile home on daughter Susan Castang's property in Dunlap, CA. Mae, Susan, and granddaughter Susan Marie (Rosie) became a team for many endurance rides. They rode together in training and for pleasure with friends in King's Canyon and the nearby Sierra Nevada's. On March 21, 1991, ten days after her 81st birthday, Mae suffered a massive stroke. She went to ride in the great beyond on March 25, 1991. Her ashes are scattered over King's Canyon. 1 Nephew Donald Mundwiler notes:
Mae left N.J. late May, 1941 after visiting Gladys and myself at our
new apartment, 19 Lewis Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. We were married May 10, 1941 in North Plainfield and Mae attended.
I first met Mae in 1984 when she stopped in Houston after
visiting Mom and Dad in New Port Richey. I picked her up at the
Greyhound bus station and she spent the weekend with us. Full of
life and fun at 74 years old, her hands looked like she had spent
her entire life working on the farm. The next leg of her trip to
California would be on a tramp steamer through the Panama
Canal!
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