Ethel Mae Maxwell

Ethel Mae Northrop Maxwell, 84, passed away on June 15, 2017. She was born to Helen and Cecil Northrop, and spent her childhood in the mountain towns of Colorado. After receiving her Home Economics degree from Colorado A&M, she taught high school in Ouray, Colorado. While attending college, she met her future husband, Floyd, at the Presbyterian Fellowship Group. They married in 1954, following his service in the Korean War, and made their home in Fort Collins. Ethel baked cookies, was a den mother and Girl Scout leader, and made home a place where you wanted to be. She and Floyd danced with the Fort Collinaders Square Dance Club. They were active members of First United Methodist Church, and participated in the Clipper Class and the UMW Circle Vashti. She was also a member of the Friday’s Council Tree Chapter, NSDAR, and the Pioneers Association. Her creativity showed in her domestic arts. She produced lovely crocheted items, painted china, and was an experienced seamstress. She was also an avid reader, whether out loud to her family, or relishing a good story on her own. She enjoyed traveling, and like her father, always wanted to see what was down the next road. Floyd and Ethel made two trips to Europe, and traveled extensively in the United States. One summer they boasted of having gone from boarder to boarder, and coast to coast in their motor home. Family celebrations were a priority. Backyard picnics were part of every warm weather event – graduations, Mother’s and Father’s Days, weddings, and just because. Birthdays were special days, and Ethel was a magician when it came to making three-dimensional cake sculptures. Each of us has a different special memory of Ethel. She was a large presence in a humble and unassuming way. She was kind and funny and practical and astonishingly self-reliant. She will be missed by all of us. Ethel is survived by her husband, Floyd; children, Duane Maxwell, Lynette (David) Rubenthaler, Judi (David) Kallinger, and Loren (Debi) Maxwell; and grandchildren, Kevin and Kristen Rubenthaler, and Nicholas (Jamie) and Adriane Kallinger. A Memorial Service will be held on July 29, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church. , In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Larimer County Food Bank, in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524.

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Ethel Mae Maxwell

June 15, 2017