TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; Locals and regional officials are still mourning the death of Charles McGlashan, the great grandson of Charles Fayette McGlashan, the man known for his book documenting the Donner Party and establishing Truckee as a winter tourism destination in the late 1800s.

Charles McGlashan, 49, reportedly died from an apparent heart attack suffered outside a friend’s home in Tahoe Vista Sunday, March 26, after a two-day skiing trip with friends.

Sgt. Paul Schmidt of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said North Tahoe Fire Protection District’s emergency crews tried to revive McGlashan, but he was later pronounced dead at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

McGlashan, a Mill Valley resident, had served as a Marin County Supervisor since 2005.

He was known for his support for the environment, the formation of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, the creation of the Marin Economic Forum and the initiation and operation of the Marin Energy Authority, according to published reports.

McGlashan’s wife, environmental activist Carol Misseldine, called him her and#8220;comrade in arms,and#8221; a man dedicated to making the planet a better place.

and#8220;He was the most pure and committed environmentalist I have ever met,and#8221; she told the Marin Independent Journal. and#8220;It wasn’t about show. It was about his heart. He was deeply concerned about all the beings on this planet.and#8221;

McGlashan’s interests in the environment and the economy were marked traits of his great grandfather and#8212; Charles F. McGlashan and#8212; also a civic visionary who came to Truckee in the 1870s and helped to organize Truckee’s first Winter Carnival that brought the first organized winter tourism to the region with its giant ice palace, skating rink and toboggan, said Chelsea Walterscheid, president of the Truckee Donner Historical Society.

McGlashan’s great grandfather also was editor and proprietor of the Truckee Republican newspaper and#8212; before it was renamed the Sierra Sun and#8212; and was the first to accurately chronicle the Donner Party in his book, and#8220;History of The Donner Party, A Tragedy of the Sierra.and#8221;

McGlashan’s death is the second in his family this year.

Mariel Nona McGlashan and#8212; Charles F. McGlashan’s granddaughter and#8212; died in Auburn on Jan. 15, just 2 months short of turning 100. She was known for her many books, most notably and#8220;Give Me A Mountain Meadow,and#8221; a biography of Charles F. McGlashan.

A memorial service for Charles McGlashan is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9 at the Marin Center in San Rafael. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the service will be followed with refreshments.