Maxine W. Waters, 83

March 1, 1928 - June 19, 2011

The youngest of five children, Maxine was born to Sybil and William Blakely in Heise.

She attended school through the sixth grade at the one-room school at Heise, two years at the Poplar School, and then Ririe High School in Ririe graduating in 1945.

Maxine married Grant Smith in 1947, and they lived in many different towns throughout Idaho before settling in Coeur d'Alene in 1959. Grant died in 1964, leaving Maxine and their three children: Julie, TJ and Chad. She gained two stepchildren, Vici and Tim, when she remarried in 1966 to Warren Waters, with whom she had two more children, Mary and Mike. Warren died in 2008, but the families they blended remain one, standing as a testament to their love and commitment to their children.

Maxine was active in neighborhood and community life, from her work as a Scout leader, her volunteering as an election coordinator, to her scouring yard sales for lovely or useful bargains (many of which she gave to family members). She also enjoyed traveling the country in her fifth-wheel trailer and liked wintering in Arizona. Most of her time and energy, though, she devoted to her family, cooking wonderful meals, sewing and mending clothes, knitting slippers and hats, and crocheting afghans, sharing stories and playing a good game of cribbage. Perhaps her greatest skill as a mother and grandmother was her ability to make each child feel loved and more special at that moment than all the others.

Maxine is survived by a very special brother, Dawn Blakely, who still lives on the family farm in Heise. Her other survivors include Julie Ohlund (Erik), TJ Smith (Teri), Chad Smith, Mary Griffith (Todd), Mike Waters, Vici Lentzner (Ron), Tim Waters (Tori); eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one brother-in-law, three sisters-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews. She will be missed by all.

The children of Maxine are planning a wake for her remembrance at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 30, 2011, at the home of her daughter, Mary Griffith, in Coeur d'Alene. Family and friends are welcomed.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Hospice of Spokane, the American Cancer Society or your local Food Bank.