Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, Ann M. Maxwell, age 84, returned to our Heavenly Father on Thursday, August 8, 2013, in Sandy, Utah.
Ann's smile, contagious laugh, graciousness and zest for living brightened our days. It felt good to be with her. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 5, 1929, the only child of her parents, Nils Sanders and Martha Englund. She was proud of her Swedish heritage and loved to be with many cousins who were more like brothers and sisters to her.
At the age of 16, she graduated from South High School where she learned to play the clarinet and sing with the Madrigals. She met her husband, Cal, on her 16th birthday, the day she got a job in the grocery store where he worked. They were married on December 14th, 1946 and sealed for time and all eternity on April 27, 1954 in the Salt Lake Temple. They raised 4 children while living in Bountiful and Salt Lake City and celebrated 60 anniversaries together before Cal passed away on August 6, 2007.
She had a talent for cooking ‚ especially apple pie, stuffed peppers, chocolate cake, raspberry jello, Christmas cookies, Swedish dishes, tuna casserole, French toast, and potato salad. As a member of the LDS Church, she served faithfully as a pianist for Primary and Relief Society, as a den leader, as a Young Women's leader, as a visiting teaching supervisor, as an alto and soprano in ward choirs. She did a lot to support two sons who served as missionaries.
Ann worked hard to help provide for herself and her family, including tending children and working at Sudbury and Maxwell Food Town, Dunford Bakery, Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph, Montgomery Ward, Sears Roebuck and Company, Auerbach's, and ZCMI. Christmas presents were thoughtfully purchased and carefully wrapped months ahead of time. She collected porcelain figurines, dolls, and spoons that celebrated her travels ‚ including trips to Hawaii, New York, and Sweden.
She cherished her friends, and some friendships have lasted for decades. She loved people, talking to them on the telephone or out on the patio, sending cards, sharing a story at the dinner table, reading books out loud, going to movies, plays, ballets and dances (she loved to go dancing with Cal in the big ballrooms), attending reunions, birthday parties, baptisms and weddings, watching the 24th of July Parade and the fireworks over Liberty Park. She liked to make people laugh, telling jokes she had found, sharing an embarrassing story about herself, or talking "squishy-nose" talk. She loved to sing and play the piano as her husband and family gathered around to sing popular songs from the good old days. She admired beautiful flowers and the sound of canyon streams. She enjoyed painting numerous bird houses constructed by her husband, playing with pet dogs (Cindy and Boots), feeding the sparrows and hummingbirds, and doing arts and crafts.
She is survived by her four children, Larry (Content) Maxwell, Gene (Maurine) Maxwell, Diane (Michael) Hill, and Bob (Marti) Maxwell. She loved and welcomed into the family each of her 19 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. While residing at Atria Senior Living for nearly 5 years, she made many friends with employees and residents; she did her best to help make their days to be a little brighter even while she suffered through multiple debilitating health issues.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 13th, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East 10600 South in Sandy, Utah. A viewing will be held at that location on Monday, August 12th, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and prior to the service from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Interment will be at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.larkinmortuary.com.
