Maxine Marie Taylor

February 5, 1938 - October 28, 2020

Maxine was born in Chewelah, Washington on February 5th, 1938 to parents Clara and Vincent Tomsha. She was the eldest of her siblings Lorraine, Ron, Raymond and Jim. Her father worked for the railroad and passed away during a work accident when she was young. She stepped up to help her mother as much as a young girl could when needed.
Maxine graduated from Chewelah High School in 1956. She would tell stories about her nights going out dancing, dressing up with her girlfriends and making her way to a neighboring state to get into bars after graduation.
Maxine moved to Canada to attend Notre Dame University for a short period of time. But realized it wasn't a good fit. Not long after she returned from Canada, a close friend set her up on a blind date with Darrell Taylor, who would become her future husband.
Maxine was stood up on their 1st blind date.  Darrell was stood up on their second. Third time a charm, they both showed up for their third date.
Maxine said she knew Darrell was the one when he had seen 20 puzzles she was working on, lying about her apartment and Darrell made a joke about how long it would take her to finish them.

 After almost two years of dating, they decided to get married and move back to Darrell's home town of Salem, Oregon to build their life. They got married in 1958 and in 1960, Maxine gave birth to a beautiful daughter they named Jill, followed by an adorable baby boy they named Jeff, in 1961.    

Having her beautiful children made her so happy. She was the ultimate homemaker for years, cooking dinner every night, keeping the house tidy and raising her children in Salem.
Once their kids made it to middle school, Maxine and Darrell wanted to move out of town and build their dream home on a property Darrell found in the country overlooking the Cascades. This was where their American Dream came to fruition. Maxine loved decorating their beautiful house and Darrell loved maintaining the yard. It was all they could have ever asked for. They turned the house they made into a home for their children and grandchildren for years to come.  
The Taylors would have their family out for every holiday, but the biggest hurrah was always for Christmas. Not an inch of the house went untouched with Christmas decorations and spirit.
Once the kids were grown and almost out of high school, Maxine decided she wanted to start working. She worked at the Cannery in Salem for years and then found her permanent work family with the Oregon Employment Department. Maxine retired in 2018 after 34 years of building friendships and life long bonds with her co-workers.
Maxine and Darrell spent their leisure time going on long road trips to eastern Oregon and Reno and everywhere in between. They loved to spend time at the Oregon coast several times a year and would look forward to spending some time at the casino, Maxine enjoyed the slots. They loved driving through small towns to explore the local antique shops and diners.
In 2009 Maxine and Darrell were shaken when they lost their daughter and son in a matter of a year. They both struggled greatly with the losses. Maxine felt that her work kept her going through these struggles. She met so many people and built up a large work family that she loved dearly, so much so that she really didn't want to retire. She would come home tired but smiling, talking about fun stuff that happened at work with her co-workers.
Maxine is survived by her grandchildren and hundreds of people who loved her.
My grandmother was an incredible person with a beautiful heart. She will be greatly missed.