HAYDEN LAKE - Gerry House's past was why he tended to Hayden Lake's future.

House, who served 27 years on the Hayden Lake Water and Sewer District, including 20 as chairman, and also served on the Hayden and Kootenai planning commissions and other community boards, died on Saturday after a six-year battle with multiple myeloma.

House was a fourth-generation Hayden Lake resident whose great grandparents on both sides of his family were among the first settlers of the area. He was the first Eagle Scout in Hayden Lake and one of the founders of Hayden's sewer board.

"He could see the development around Hayden Lake was inevitable because of its beauty," said Ken Windram, the sewer board's administrator. "But his training and life experience told him that development would destroy Hayden Lake.

"Gerry's long service on the board was always with the goal of protecting the lake and doing what was best for the users."

House, who also served on the Hayden Historical Society and the Eagle Scout Review Board, was a recent recipient of the Hayden Chamber of Commerce's Distinguished Community Service Award.

Hayden Mayor and Super 1 Foods owner Ron McIntire served on the sewer board with House for 12 years.

"He was very bright and had a lot of input," McIntire said. "He was a great guy to work with and he will be missed."

Dick Panabaker, former Hayden mayor and county commissioner, said that he and House didn't always agree on issues, especially since the sewer district included members from both Hayden and Hayden Lake.

"Hayden was growing and Hayden Lake didn't want change, so that was a built-in problem," Panabaker said. "But the bottom line was that Gerry and I could always do something for the good of the order. We always had the ability to be at each other's throats, then go have a cup of coffee and laugh about it.

"I never had any doubts of his honesty, and he represented his people the best he could."

His bywords were "On the other hand" as he sought to bring adversaries to a common understanding. House worked toward preserving the life and water quality around Hayden Lake.

"He grew up loving this land," his daughter, Holly, said. "He was a peacekeeper who always tried to meet in the middle to do what was best for the lake. There was nothing that made him happier than sitting up on the hill watching over the lake."

House was a 37-year employee of the U.S. Forest Service. He retired in 1994 after serving 17 years as planner for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. He was responsible for the sale of more than one-half billion board feet of timber on four national forests and five ranger districts.

House's friends are invited to a gathering at the Avondale Golf Club in Hayden from 4-6:30 p.m. on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Hospice House, Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, 83835.