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Melvin Moose Muzinich

An avid outdoorsman, Melvin "Moose" Muzinich often brought rescued wild animals home for respite.

In the house near Mount Tamalpais where he and his family lived for 44 years, Muzinich cared for deer, owls and snakes he encountered on his rounds as a ranger with the Marin Municipal Water District.

Muzinich died March 25 of cancer at his Penngrove home. He was 84.

His love of the outdoors was born of need, daughter Gina Muzinich of Penngrove said. He was born in San Anselmo in 1924 to Yugoslavian immigrant parents, and his family hunted and gardened to put food on the table through the Great Depression, she said.

He enlisted in the Army as an infantryman when he turned 18 and earned the Bronze Star and Silver Star for his role in World War II battles in Europe with many "close calls," Muzinich said.

Infantry life was rewarding for Muzinich, wife Eleanor Muzinich said, because of the long walks in the outdoors.

"I think he had some wonderful times as he marched through Europe, in the frozen lands and warm lands, all over," she said.

Muzinich became a ranger with the water district when he returned from the war and served in all capacities on district land around Phoenix Lake.

With the water district, Muzinich served as a sheriff's deputy and a game warden for 44 years. His duties included enforcing fishing permit regulations, paving roadways and rescuing wild animals, Gina Muzinich said.

"He grew up doing it all and was a hard worker," she said. "He loved being outdoors and the job allowed him to do that."

Muzinich became expert in the trails and possible hiding spots in the Mount Tamalpais watershed. Family members said he found the first three victims of David Carpenter, a serial murderer dubbed the Trailside Killer and convicted of five slayings in Marin County.

Muzinich retired to Penngrove several years ago, Eleanor Muzinich said. An enthusiastic horseman, Muzinich was part of a men's riding group called "Hitch n' Bitch." Because of his love of horses, Muzinich's body will be carried at services Saturday by a horse-drawn hearse, Gina Muzinich said.

In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by daughter Melanie Muzinich of Penngrove, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.