U.S. Marine (ret.) Jack “JJ” Jr. dies in violent crash
By Loreen Berlin
The family of former Buena Park Mayor Jack Mauller Sr. and wife Tricia are mourning the death of their son Jack “JJ” Jr., 39, who was killed in a vehicle accident Thursday, Jan. 11, in Lucerne Valley.
According to Victorville CHP officers investigating the scene, it’s unclear why JJ’s Ford-150 truck crossed over the yellow line into oncoming traffic causing a head-on collision that took two lives and made it necessary for the critically-injured driver of the other vehicle, a 62-year-old woman from Colorado, to be airlifted to the hospital.
The accident took place near mile-marker-30 on Highway 247 at Park Road in Johnson Valley and was reported at 8:21 a.m.
Dental records are being used for positive identification as the truck JJ was driving rolled on impact and burst into flames in an open desert field, taking his life and the lives of his two dogs that were with him.
The passenger in the other vehicle also died.
That morning, JJ left his home in the High Desert of Apple Valley at 7:30 a.m. and was expected to arrive at the Mauller family ranch by 8:30 a.m. where he was working on cabinetry.
When JJ’s fiancée Dianna Boyer-Smith hadn’t heard from him, because it was the couple’s custom to call when he reached work, she called Jack Sr. to see if he had heard from JJ.
Boyer-Smith told Jack Sr. she’d heard the news that morning about an automobile accident and that set a quest into motion.
“I saw the news online that morning that there had been a bad accident in Apple Valley; stopping for dog food put JJ one-half-hour later on the road at that point than he should have been,” Boyer-Smith said.
“Because JJ had mentioned he needed dog food Jack Sr. and I felt that’s why he hadn’t arrived at the ranch,” said Boyer-Smith. However, Jack Sr. and Boyer-Smith also said on that particular morning they both had an uneasy feeling they couldn’t explain. Jack Sr. said after Boyer-Smith called him, he also asked a friend of the family in the ranch area to drive by their ranch.
Through e-insurance Boyer-Smith was able to locate the VIN number and license plate of JJ’s truck to verify if he had been involved in the fatal collision. “I started searching local newspapers and was able to read online in the Daily Press that there had been a fatal accident,” she said.
Boyer-Smith said she received a call from the Coroner’s office after her boss had driven her home that morning and CHP officers visited her at the home she and JJ shared.
The couple was looking forward to being married. “He used to call me ‘Mrs. Mauller,'” Boyer-Smith remembered fondly. The family is hoping by the end of this coming week JJ’s remains can be released to them, as the investigation is still ongoing at this point.
Both the CHP officers and the Coroner told Boyer-Smith that, “This is the worst traffic accident we have ever seen in our careers.”
Soroptimist International of Buena Park, of which Tricia Mauller is a member and has served as president, organized and orchestrated a “Celebration of Life” luncheon for family and friends at their Buena Park home Saturday, Jan. 20.
Born and raised in Buena Park, JJ attended elementary and junior high schools within the city as well as graduating from Buena Park High School; right after high school he joined the United States Marines, serving honorably.
At BPHS he was a member of the water polo team where he lettered; he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout; he also participated in the NASA U.S. Space Camp and was active in baseball, which he loved.
He was a member of the Buena Park Noon Lions Club for several years and enjoyed car racing with the Gadzooks Racing Team.
The Mauller family ranch in the High Desert was often the staging area for their love of off-road vehicles.
JJ is survived by his fiancée Dianna Boyer-Smith, parents Jack Sr. and Tricia Mauller and four children; Katelyn, Jake, Michael Phillip and Mykayla. He was preceded in death by son Christopher at age two. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.
The Mauller family has been active throughout the communities of Buena Park and Anaheim for many years.
Jack Mauller, Sr. served on Buena Park City Council from Nov. 5, 1996 until Nov. 12, 2000. During that time he was Mayor Pro Tem in 1998 and Mayor in 1999. He served as Mayor from Dec. 8, 1998 to Dec. 14, 1999.
He was also a member of the Buena Park Noon Lions Club, serving as president and is now a member of the Anaheim Lions Club.
Tricia Mauller has been a member of Soroptimist International of Buena Park for many years, also serving as president.
Quoted at the Celebration of Life was a poem, “I’m Free” that reads in part: “If my parting has left a void, then fill that void with joy; I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow; my life has been full and I have savored much; lift up your heart and share with me that God wanted me now, He has set me free.”
