Former Schools Trustee Dies, Leaves Mark on Community

Those who have been around Murrieta and Lake Elsinore for a while may remember him as the "gentle giant."

Maris Brants was a Latvian boy who learned to speak English in the 1960s at Murrieta Elementary. He grew to be a charismatic 6-foot-6 man who worked behind the meat counter at Murrieta Country Market on Washington Avenue.

Friends and family of Brants, 50, celebrated his life Wednesday at Murrieta United Methodist Church. Brants died of congestive heart failure March 6 in Hemet. He'd struggled with heart problems for several years, family members said.

Those who attended Brants' service included Lake Elsinore Unified School District Board Member Jeanie Corral. Her history with Brants goes back to when he was 18 and was elected to the Elsinore Union High School Board of Trustees. According to Corral, Brants was the youngest school board member ever elected in the state of California.

In the 1970s and '80s, Murrieta did not have a high school so students were bused to Elsinore High School. Brants served on the student representatives board at Elsinore High, and immediately after graduating in 1979 sought election to the school board.

"Maris was an enthusiastic and student-focused member of the Elsinore High School Board of Trustees and when he left, the board then returned to the purview of over 21-year-old candidates until unification in 1988," Corral said, in an email to Patch.

Corral spoke of countless days when Brants visited her family home because his sister and her daughter were friends.

"...He and others came by to pass the time of day," Corral wrote. "He was a terrific person who was an old soul in a young body, as the saying goes."

Brants went on to serve two terms, becoming president of the school board.

Brants' wife, Connie, 43, said he was credited with bringing the ROTC program to Elsinore High.

"He didn't expect much in return," Connie said. "He just loved talking, being in public and just helping people. He was people's best friend. He always gave people a hug or handshake, that's just the way it was."

Connie also grew up in Murrieta, and remembers that his parents owned an upholstery shop on Washington Avenue. She also recalled how he faithfully volunteered each year for the Murrieta Fireman's Barbecue.

Michelle Haapala, Brants' niece, spoke of his love of photography. He was known to photograph many area fires, from the Elsinore Valley to San Diego.

"I wouldn't call him an ambulance chaser but whenever there was a fire, he would be there to get his photos," Haapala, 26, said.

Connie and Maris left Southern California for South Dakota in 1992, where they lived for 12 years. They returned in 2004 and Maris reconnected with many of his classmates from the Murrieta Elementary days.

A group of those classmates—Maris among them—hosted an alumni booth at the 64th Annual Murrieta Fireman's Barbecue in April 2011. They were looking forward to Maris participating again, said friend and schoolmate Terry (Kean) Whitaker.

"Maris was a big part of that," said Whitaker, a fourth-generation Murrieta resident. "He took lots of pictures. He was going to help us with that this year.

"It is surreal that he is gone. It was someone we always felt would be here forever."

Maris will remain a part of Whitaker's and many others memories of growing up in Murrieta. In those days, most families congregated in the area now known as Historic Downtown Murrieta.

"He was always the gentle giant," she said. "He liked to get into debates but he was always warm and friendly. If anybody ever needed help or a hug or just a kind person to talk to he was always there. He didn't discriminate against anyone. He was a person you could trust—very reliable."

As many of the locals did, Whitaker recalled stopping in at Murrieta Country Market frequently for tri-tip sandwiches. Maris, who was four years younger than her, was the presence behind the counter.

"He would always remember what you wanted on your sandwich," she said.

Whitaker said she and several other classmates knew he had been struggling with his health for the last few years, and had kept him in their prayers.

"When he got sick, we all just knew he would be OK," Whitaker said. "We didn't think of it any other way.

"Without Maris it is going to be different."