Obituary: Edwards, Maxine Rose
Age 93
Maxine was born on November 27, 1921 in Oakesdale, WA to Cornelius and Catherine Merriman, the tenth of twelve children.
Maxine grew up in Tekoa, WA and attended elementary school at Mount Saint Joseph Academy and Tekoa High School graduating in the class of 1939.
After graduation, Maxine moved to Seattle and had several jobs, among them as a parking attendant in a large parking garage.
She was a very good driver and continued to be so until age 90.
She returned to Tekoa and married Robert (Bob) Edwards, her high school sweetheart, on February 3, 1945.
They had three children, Barbara, Ron, and Diane.
Maxine was a homemaker, a busy mother, and wonderful cook who made the best potato salad ever from her still-secret recipe.
In 1954, the family moved to Spokane where Maxine spent many hours with her sisters and brothers who had also moved there.
There were large holiday gatherings with a lot of love and laughter.
Maxine and Bob enjoyed playing pinochle with friends, and especially with her sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Tick.
Their card games were legendary, always with the women vs the men.
Bob and Maxine spent their retirement years gardening, camping with friends, and enjoying their grandchildren.
After Bob died in 2006, Maxine moved to Holman Gardens retirement home where she participated in many activities.
She continued to play pinochle two nights a week, went on many group outings, played in Wii bowling tournaments, and made many new friends.
She was always a very social person and loved by all.
Maxine left a legacy that will live on forever in those she met and is now having the ultimate wine and cheese social with all her family and friends in heaven.
Maxine was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Bob; her beloved daughter Barbara; sisters Marie, Frances, Katherine, Helen, and Dorothy; brothers John, Lawrence, Edward, Doe, Neal and George.
Maxine will be missed by her son Ron (Irma) and their children Karen (Rick) Dotson and Chris Edwards; daughter Diane Worthington and her children Jennifer (Sulejman) Djuzel, Erik (Jennifer), Amber (Charles), and David Worthington; and by Barbara’s children who were like her own, Anne (Todd) Gilligan, Aimee (Casey) Murphy, and Steve (Jaunna) Carlson.
She also leaves fifteen great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews and countless friends.
The family would like to thank the staff and all her friends at Holman Gardens, Dr. Daniel Dionne and his staff for their many years of care, the third floor and ICU nurses and staff at Valley Hospital who helped make Maxine’s last days peaceful and pain free, and the staff at the Gardens Rehabilitation center for their care.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 A.M. On Saturday, May 30th at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 503 N. Walnut Road, Spokane Valley, WA 99206.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Vianney Church in Maxine’s name.
To view Maxine’s online memorial, please visit www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com.