Nina Mae Froehlich, 86, died of congestive heart failure in Hemet on Saturday, July 29, 2000.
Nina Mae was born March 27, 1914, in Madisonville, Ky. She moved with her family to San Jacinto, Calif., in 1919, graduating from San Jacinto High School in 1932.
She and Glenn Froehlich, who worked for the California Electric Power Company (later to become Edison Company), were married in 1933.
The couple moved to Idyllwild with their two children in 1941 to live in the power company house to provide electric service to the 200 customers of that time.
In 1949, Nina Mae and Glenn began spending their weekend evenings running the first theatre in Idyllwild at the present Silver Pines Lodge. They completed construction of the Rustic Theatre in 1952 and moved the operation to its present location. This was a “side job” to their primary employment with Edison Company which continued to serve the growing communities of Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Garner Valley and Anza.
In 1962, Nina Mae and her husband retired from the Edison Company and sold the Rustic Theatre in order to give full attention to the Idyllwild Inn, which they had purchased from owner Jerry Johnson. For the next 18 years, they refurbished the buildings and enjoyed the “innkeeping” business until their final retirement in 1980.
They had moved to Hemet where they had become more involved in golf. Nina Mae continued playing until she was 85. She had lived for the past nine years at the Village Retirement home in Hemet.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn, who died in 1980. She is survived by son Keith of Idyllwild and daughter Janet Riley of Napa, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Arrangements are being made by Harfords Funeral Home. Nina Mae’s family invites friends to join them for graveside services at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at the San Jacinto Valley Cemetery, San Jacinto and Menlo streets.