HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT The late John Macaw, at left on screen, was there as scores of men and women who remember his good works came together in his memory at Mountain View Casino. Advertisement

About 150 people gathered at the Mountain View Casino Wednesday to pay homage to the late John McCaw, the bearded ex-steelworker from Pennsylvania who became a successful casino operator in Nevada.

McCaw, owner of the Mountain View Casino, passed away July 16 at age 50 after a year's illness.

He was an avid fan of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, whose voice could be heard singing as a slide presentation was shown of McCaw's life.

Lori Mueller's remarks, printed in the memorial service pamphlet, said, "Instead of just being happy for himself, John wanted to share his happiness with others. He invited me and my family to see Paul McCartney in Las Vegas. He spared no expense - the concert suites at the Rio and limousines. It was a dream for me and my family."

Mueller, who was his personal assistant, wrote of his generosity:

"I have been privy to information that others may not be aware of, such as John's generosity to the community and to his employees. Mountain View receives requests every week for donations and John tries to respond to every one."

A couple of weeks ago, the Mountain View received a request from a woman in Pahrump whose teenage son was murdered. Without hesitation, McCaw told Mueller to write a check.

McCaw's sister, Janet Nolder, said he "had the entrepreneurial drive from a very early age and was determined to be a successful businessman, which he was."

Nolder described the story of her brother's life, from when he moved to Las Vegas in 1981 as a stockbroker, bought a local bar named Irene's, then made the trip to Pahrump in 1987 and bought the old Double B bowling alley. That property is today the Mountain View Casino.

"His generosity to the community and appreciation of his customers quickly made me understand why his business was so successful," she said.

When the Mountain View Casino burned down in April 2003, the community turned out to show its love and support for the Mountain View family, Nolder said. McCaw turned his personal nightmare into a crusade to have the Mountain View rebuilt as quickly as possible.

Personal friend Corwyn Beaumont said, "John was a very good boss and a good friend. He was my mentor."

"When the casino burned back in 2003, John wanted me to help get the payables and the payroll together, and he didn't want to wait until the insurance company paid up," Beaumont said. "He went into his own pocket and paid everybody and tried to make everybody whole without waiting for the insurance. I thought that was very noble of him, to put the people first."

His brother, Jim McCaw, remembered, "Growing up in western Pennyslvania, John was a typical big brother."

"He lured me to Pahrump in 1992, saying it was such a nice small town and a nice place to raise a family," his brother said.

Jim McCaw recalled how excited Pahrump residents were at the opening of Smith's Food and Drug in the 1990s and how the bowling alley grew from eight to 16 to 24 lanes.

"The town grew and so did the casino," his brother said.

There were some memorable times, he said, with the Jefferson Starship Concert and the Super Bowl parties. Then came the devastating fire.

"He was deeply touched by the generosity of the people in Pahrump. He wanted to rebuild in the longest 19 months he ever had," Jim McCaw said.

His brother added, "I still find myself searching for the phone to complain about the Pirates or see how things are going."

"In talking to a lot of you at the visitation, I learned that John had a lot of great qualities. I learned that he loved the Pittsburgh Pirates through good times and bad," Valley Bible Fellowship Pastor Jim Crelia said.

Last March, McCaw went to the Pirates' spring training camp in Bradenton, Fla., where he spent his 50th birthday.

McCaw also went to every Paul McCartney concert, he said.

In trying to explain McCaw's death at a relatively young age, however, the pastor took a page from a song by another 1960s band, the Byrds, who borrowed from the Bible's Book of Ecclesiastes to sing about "a time to be born, a time to die."

The sound of the video slot machines could be heard faintly in the background during the service. At 4 p.m., a while after the service ended, the restaurant buffet opened up to diners again. Both were evidence of the food, the entertainment and the good times that are part of the legacy McCaw left for Pahrump.