John Mink, an internationally respected hydrologist and husband of the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, collapsed and died yesterday in Northampton, Mass., while visiting his daughter, Wendy, a professor at Smith College. He was 81.

A Pennsylvania native, Mink was a World War II combat veteran, respected scientist and successful businessman whose selfless persona provided a bridge between public and private life for his wife and daughter during Patsy Mink's 24 years in Congress.

"Besides having a full-time job, John advised and supported Patsy in all ways and many ways," said Calvin Tamura, a relative speaking for the Mink family. "He was her campaign manager, oftentimes the treasurer, stood next to her on street corners to wave signs while also cooking up his famous macaroni and cheese, and providing a clean, safe home for his wife and daughter."

After the Democratic congresswoman died on Sept. 28, 2002, of viral pneumonia, John Mink ran unsuccessfully in a special election to fill the final five weeks of her term.

George Yuen, Mink's friend of 55 years, said his business partner for the past 20 years in the water consulting firm of Mink & Yuen Inc. had recently completed a water-resource project for Guam and was in good health when he last saw him about three weeks ago.

Yuen spoke with Mink Saturday by telephone following Michigan's 27-25 football victory over Penn State.

"We just talked football — he's from Penn State and I went to Michigan," Yuen said. "We've been betting lunch on that game for years."

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said yesterday, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Mink, who left his mark in two very important ways.

"As a hydrologist, he rose to the top of his field and won the respect of his peers. As the husband of Patsy Mink, he faithfully stood by her and played a key role in her rise to prominence as one of the great leaders of Hawai'i and our nation. Just as the water he studied is essential to sustaining life, he was the water in Patsy's life that helped to give her the strength to serve as a champion for peace, equal opportunity, education and women's rights."

The news of Mink's death was shocking to Yuen.

"It's beyond belief," he said. "In my opinion, John was the foremost hydrologist in the Pacific area, an expert on Guam, Micronesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, China, the Philippines, Saipan. I kept telling him he should toot his own horn, but he was so humble, never bragged about anything. He was a one-in-a-million person.

"He'll be missed," Yuen added. "I called Guam to let them know because he was a role model" to water officials there.

While working as a geologist-hydrologist for the Board of Water Supply in the early 1960s, Mink researched the amount of water in an aquifer that could be safely pumped out without affecting the quality of water, and developed a classification system still being used, Yuen said.

Mink also was an expert on the locating of wells, saltwater encroachment and subsurface disposal of wastewater, and wrote books and papers, including one on water-resource development which won an award from the American Waterworks Association, Yuen said.

Joan Manke, who worked for Patsy Mink in her Honolulu office, said, "Anyone who ever worked for Congresswoman Mink knows that John Mink was totally unselfish in his support for her and her work. And yet he somehow managed to maintain his own career as an internationally respected hydrologist. John and Patsy were remarkable partners, devoted to each other through their more than 50 years of marriage and their 40-year career in politics."

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, described Mink as a "fine person, sensitive and level-headed" and "the key ingredient in Patsy's success."

U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, remembered Mink as "kind, gracious, humble and devoted ... a decent and committed man."

Services are pending.

Mink, who served as a navigator on bombing missions in Europe from 1943 to 1945, will be buried next to his wife at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.