Jaggers, daughter of Hughes aide, dies

Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2001 | 8:31 a.m.

As a teenager, Christine Maheu was touted as a possible professional tennis star of the future.

However, when her parents moved from California to Las Vegas, Christine reluctantly went along and put aside her dreams of tennis stardom, refocusing her goals instead on becoming a wife and mother.

At 15 Christine met Jon J. Jaggers, a native Las Vegan, and at 18 married the man who started his gaming career as a 21 dealer at the Horseshoe and today is executive vice president of casino operations and marketing for Caesars Palace.

Christine Maheu Jaggers, daughter of Robert Maheu, the one-time top aide to reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, died Saturday. She was 48.

Services for the Las Vegas resident of 34 years will be 10 a.m. Friday at Guardian Angel Cathedral, 336 Cathedral Way. Palm Mortuary Cheyenne is handling the arrangements.

"My mom was the best at being a mom -- vice president of the St. Viator PTA, organizer of the school field trip car pools and never missing one of her children's T-ball or soccer games," said Yvette Rasmussen, Jaggers' eldest child and only daughter.

"She also taught music, played the guitar and coached one of my brothers' basketball teams. She was most proud of having been married for so long and of her children and grandchildren."

Christine's death came on the heels of the Maheu family learning that the intriguing life of Robert Maheu is to be made into a motion picture starring Tom Berenger in the lead role. Maheu is the author of the 1992 book "Next to Hughes," which gives rare insights into Hughes' Las Vegas gaming empire and Maheu's stints as an FBI agent and CIA operative.

While Hughes, through Maheu, ran a vast gaming empire from a room atop the Desert Inn, Maheu's daughter tore up the DI tennis courts with several club tournament victories. Christine also won titles at the Las Vegas Country Club until a shoulder injury in her late 20s ended her tennis career.

Born March 3, 1953, in Washington, D.C., Christine was one of four children and the only daughter of Robert and Yvette Maheu, both of whom survive her. She was raised in Virginia and later in Southern California, where she excelled in tennis, winning several junior titles. A versatile athlete, Christine also was featured in an instructional video on volleyball.

"My mom told me that when her parents told her they were moving to Las Vegas she was so upset because her tennis instructors felt she had a good chance to turn pro if she stayed," Rasmussen said. "But she met my father soon after and knew right away she would never leave Las Vegas."

As a freshman at Bishop Gorman, Christine started dating Clark High student Jon Jaggers, whose family has roots in Las Vegas' earliest days.

In addition to her husband, daughter, mother and father, all of Las Vegas, Maheu Jaggers is survived by three sons, Tommy J. Jaggers, Jimmy J. Jaggers and Bobby W. Jaggers, all of Las Vegas; three brothers, Peter Maheu of Las Vegas, Robert Maheu of Newport Beach, Calif., and Billy Maheu of San Diego; and three grandchildren.

The family suggests donations in Christine Maheu Jaggers memory to charities that benefit children.