Kenneth Frederick Maxwell,
96, the widower of Dixie Miller Maxwell, went home to be with the Lord,
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at Tidelands Community Hospice.
Mr. Maxwell was born the
son of Frank Maxwell and Martha Suhring Maxwell on April 5, 1920 in Dolton,
Illinois.
Mr. Maxwell graduated from
Thornton Township High School in 1938 in the middle of a recession with
20% unemployment so he attended Business College and worked as a stenographer
at Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing in Chicago, IL. He volunteered
to discuss his childhood during the Depression and a video of this can
be found online at the Georgetown County library website or www.youtube.com/GeorgetownCountyLibr/videos.
Mr. Maxwell was a WWII veteran
with 31 months in the South Pacific with the 7th Air Force and the Air
Transport Command. He was later stationed in California and was a
Court Reporter for General Court Martials. He purchased a motorcycle
in California and upon discharge in Los Angeles, rode it home to Illinois
visiting Mexico on the way. Later he took several motorcycle trips
to Southern and Northeast Canada.
Mr. Maxwell attended Paul
Smith College in Upstate New York and rebuilt a 1941 Ford from three totaled
wrecks in a shop course. After a winter there with much snow and
a -42 temperature, he transferred to the University of Florida and graduated
with degrees in Forestry and Agriculture (Soils).
After graduation, Kenneth
and a friend, Jack Poole, took an extended trip to the West Coast, working
their way across in the Kansas wheat fields and visiting most of the National
Parks on the way. He worked for International Paper Company for 32
years as a Forester in the southeastern US. He was a member of the
Quarter Century Club and the Pine Tree Club.
Mr. Maxwell enjoyed most
sports but he was a lifelong swimmer and swam at the Georgetown County
Family YMCA in his later years. He enjoyed all types of hunting but
was an avid dove shooter. He also enjoyed fishing and gardening.
He was a member of Herbert
Memorial United Methodist Church and the L&M Bunn Sunday school class.
He was also a member of the American Legion Post 114 and the Georgetown
Lions Club where he was named a Melvin Jones Fellow in 2006.
His motto was “you can wear
out or rust out” and he just wore out.
Kenneth and Dixie were married
on March 27, 1954 and celebrated 60 years together. Their home was
blessed with: three children, Kenneth Scott (Pam) Maxwell, Brian Lee Maxwell,
and Lisa (Iain) Ritchie. He also leaves behind: a sister, Lois
M. Struven; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by:
his parents; his wife; and a sister, Dorothy Maxwell Powers.
Funeral Service with Military
Honors will be 12PM, Saturday, January 21, 2017 at Herbert Memorial United
Methodist Church directed by the Georgetown Chapel of McKenzie Funeral
Home.
The Maxwell family will
receive family and friends prior to the service from 11AM – 12PM in the
church sanctuary.
Memorials may be made to:
Blue Print Leadership Academy, PO Box 1989, Georgetown, SC 29442
OR Herbert Memorial UMC, 84 Forest Avenue, Georgetown, SC 29440.
He will be cremated
and his ashes spread over his favorite dove field.
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