1961 MAYOR STILL CIVIC VOLUNTEER.

Byline: Bettie Rencoret Senior columnist

LANCASTER - Neta Deeter Rephun, Lancaster's first honorary mayor, has lots of memories.

The Lancaster Lions Club sponsored the annual contest for honorary mayor as a community fund-raiser - this was before Lancaster became a city - and major organizations supported candidates.

``I was the first mayor, and I was a woman. That was a real coup in those days. After all, it was a men's club event and I still won it,'' she said. She later won another term.

``I seemed to do everything twice,'' she said. ``I was honorary mayor in 1961 and again in 1965. Then I served two years, 1971 and 1972, as president of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce.''

She also served two four-year terms on the Antelope Valley Fair board.

Her husband, Walt Rephun, insisted that she display her many awards and commendations, including ones from former Gov. Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown and from Ronald Reagan when he was California governor.

She served several years on the Salvation Army board, visiting and taking food to needy families, and she was a volunteer for 20 years at the Lancaster Convalescent Home, now known as the Lancaster Health Care Center.

The community-service memory she cherishes most was organizing and serving as a leader of a local 4-H group.

``I don't know how many years I taught those girls to sew and make projects for the fair,'' she said, ``but I loved every minute of it.''

A real estate broker during the volatile l950s, she was able to keep her business profitable by working hard and utilizing her love of people.

Her name alone was an asset. It was easy to remember, and she made the most of it. Several times a day, a voice on local radio intoned: ``Nothin' could be sweeter than a deal with Neta Deeter.''

``Every once in a while, somebody remembers that,'' she said.

Local radio personalities Chuck Grina and the late Dean Roper used the catchy slogan, and she forgets which one thought of it for her.

She was married to Max Deeter for 14 years. They owned and operated a hardware store in Quartz Hill until they divorced.

Looking for a social life, Neta signed up for dance lessons with Rephun, who worked for a moving company and moonlighted as a dance instructor. They were married Feb. 4, 1963, and their devotion lasted until his death about 10 years ago.

When she recalls all her community activities, even she is amazed.

She is one of the few remaining charter members of the Quartz Hill Woman's Club, belongs to Zonta Club International, is a member of the Citizens Committee for the Southern California Veterans Home in Lancaster and remains active in her church.

``You think you retire, but that's a laugh. People call me, and I have things on my calendar almost every day,'' she said. ``I just don't know how that happens."

Here are this week's menus for the senior life nutrition sites in Lancaster, Palmdale and South Valley. Meals include bread and a beverage. The cost is $2.

--Monday: Mexican casserole, corn, tossed salad, pineapple juice, tapioca pudding.

--Tuesday: Tuna loaf, au gratin potatoes, pea salad, marinated beets, citrus cup.

--Wednesday: Sweet and sour chicken, rice pilaf, spinach, creamy coleslaw, apple.

--Thursday: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrot and raisin salad, gelatin with fruit.

--Friday: Swedish meatballs or beef tips, noodles with parsley, Normandy vegetables, lettuce and tomato salad, cookies.

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Photo: Neta Deeter Rephun, who in 1961 was Lancaster's first honorary mayor, remains active in community service.

Bettie Rencoret/Special to the Daily News