Donald Maxwell

Don Maxwell

Born April 30, 1928

Called Home To The Lord February 21, 2022

Don was born in Stephen, Minnesota. He was the middle child – number 4 of 7 children – to John Maxwell and Clara Maxwell. He grew up very poor. When he wasn’t at school or doing chores, he loved to play Anty-i-over or Cowboys and Indians with the other children where he always played a Cowboy. When he was only 8 years old his father died in a car crash. His Mother worked hard to support her family by doing chores, baking, and working in a restaurant. Don learned early on to work hard and to not depend on others. Don’t go into debt and pay as you go.

Don met his wife Joyce when he was only 18 years old. They were married two years later and were happily married for over 65 years. He moved to California in 1951 where he lived the remainder of his life. His first daughter, Sharon, was born in 1950 and his second daughter, Pam, was born in 1953.

Don was a loving and devoted husband and father – always working hard for his family. He was known as Mr. Fix It because he could fix and make anything. If he did not have a part, he would make it. He was a very honest and generous man always helping others.

He is survived by his daughter Pam Johnson, her husband Ken Johnson, granddaughter Crystal Johnson, grandsons Doug Johnson and Gary Johnson, and great granddaughter Creedence Johnson. He is also survived by brother Kenny Maxwell and sisters Jean Isley and Glenna Garske.

He was preceded in death by his father John Maxwell, mother Clara Maxwell, wife Joyce Maxwell, daughter Sharon Maxwell, brother Gordon Maxwell, and sisters Doris Dagoberg and Carole Riley.

The Don & Joyce Story

(Written by Crystal Johnson – Year 2000) Donald Alfred Maxwell was born April 30, 1928 to Jack and Clara Maxwell in Stephen, Minnesota. Jack was 28 and Clara was only 23 when they had Don. He was number four of seven kids. Doris, who was born first is 75 years old, Jeane is 74, Gordon is 73, Don is 72, Carol is 70, Kenny is 67, and Glenna is 64. Don is ¾ German and ¼ Scottish.

Don's dad, John, also known as Jack, was born to Tom and Edith Maxwell. Jack's Dad Tom was a contractor. Tom died in a car crash so Edith rented a big house and rented rooms out. The house is now a museum. Clara was born to John and Louise. John Zinke was a wealthy farmer but he lost most of his land in the depression. He went to live with his son Bill in Oregon and he died at the age of 85 years old. Jack and Clara were neighbors. They married in 1923 at the ages of 19 and 23. Jack was an auto mechanic and Clara later worked as a cook in a restaurant.

When Don was only eight years old his father, Jack, died in a car crash. Jack's youngest daughter was only 5 months old at the time of his death. In his mind little Donny became the “man of the house”. He didn't get along very well with his siblings. Clara did sewing, baking, and other small jobs until Glenna started school. She then went to work as a cook at a restaurant.

When Don was 11 years old he became a farm laborer which was his first job. He drove a tractor that pulled a binder to cut the grain for the soldiers who were fighting in World War II. He worked for $1 a day and earned a total of $11.50 over about 11 days. This money bought clothes for school.

When Don wasn't at school or doing chores he was playing Anty-i-over or playing Cowboys and Indians. He played a Cowboy. Don had a dog named Pal that he played with, but he didn't like cats. He mother punished him for smoking his dad's pipe or using words he had learned from his daddy – meaning bad words. His favorite meal that she made was the roast that she made on Thanksgiving and on Christmas. They raised chickens and grew their own vegetables. His family didn't have normal toilets like we do. They had an outhouse - A piece of wood with two holes in it. They used Sear's catalogs for toilet paper. The thin sheets were the first to go. He never got into trouble with the law but when he was a kid he got put into jail for two hours. The river would freeze and then later begin to break up. He and his friends would jump from ice block to ice block. Finally the cop would catch them, tell them how dangerous it was, and then put them in jail. The next week his friend drowned doing that. Don attended Stephen High School which went from first grade to grade 12. He played on their varsity basketball team for four years. They never lost a game to Argyle. His mother died of heart failure at the age of 94 years in 1998.

An important thing that Don learned was to always work hard and do not depend on others. Don't go into debt and pay as you go.

Joyce Marie Beaudry was born April 4, 1930 in Argyle, Minnesota to Simon and Bernadette Beaudry. Simon was 31 years old and Bernadette, also known as Bernie, was 29 years old when she was born. She was number nine of 12 kids. She had six brothers and five sisters. Their names were Dan, who is dead, Rose is 79, Gloria is 77, Paul, Nora, Omer, Donald, and Lloyd are all dead, Joyce is 69, Doris is 67, Roland is 62, and Bernadette is 60. Joyce is 100% French.

When Joyce was six years old she had an abscess under her liver. It started with a side ache and then she began to get nauseous. Her parents took her to the hospital but they said they could not do anything. Her parents then took her to another hospital and they operated right away. She was in the hospital for one month.

When Joyce was only eight her mother died while giving birth at the age of 38. Simon was going to take his wife to the hospital but the doctor said she would be fine. She wasn't. She bled to death giving birth to the baby. Rose, Joyce's oldest sister could not take care of the baby and all the other children so they gave her to a family member that could not have a baby. They named her Bernadette after her biological mother. Bernadette didn't know until many years later that she was adopted.

Joyce enjoyed playing hide and seek and Anti-i-over. She also liked to ride Jesse the horse. The family had two dogs, Rover and Fido. Joyce went to a Catholic Convent from first to eighth grade. She then went to Argyle High School for her freshmen year. Her favorite meal that her mother made was turkey. Their normal meal consisted of meat and mashed potatoes and gravy. They would butcher a cow or pig and eat it. They had a lot of pork roast, roast beef, pork chops, and lots of steak. Her mom made pies, cookies, cakes, and donuts. They always had good food at their house. Her family had a chemical toilet and used Sear's catalogs as their toilet paper. They also preferred the thin pages.

Joyce was 15 ½ years old when she got her first job as a waitress in a restaurant. She got paid $14.05 a week and worked for about eight to ten hours a day. Sometimes the basketball team would come in and she would have to work longer. She did not get paid overtime.

Her father died when he was 75 years old in 1974. He died of a stroke but Don believes his second wife fed him to death.

The lesson that Joyce was taught the most was to be a good Christian/Catholic, to pray often and to try to get along with people and family.

December 17, 1946 Don and Joyce met. She was only 16 and he was 18 years old. Joyce went to a dance in Stephen with her friend Joyce. Joyce and Joyce had exactly the same name – Joyce Marie Beaudry. Don saw little Joyce Marie Beaudry and asked his friend who she was. He said that she was Joyce Beaudry. Don said that the BIG Joyce was Joyce Beaudry. Then his friend told him that they were both Joyce Beaudry. Don went and asked BIG Joyce to dance and asked her about the other Joyce Beaudry. He then went and asked the little Joyce to dance and they danced the night away. When it was time to go home he asked her if he could take her home. She said no. She didn't know him and knew she shouldn't go with him. Don says he knew the minute their eyes met he would marry her. It was love at first sight. Joyce told her friend Joyce that she was going to marry him someday. When she went home she told her sister about Donny Maxwell. She told her sister that he had offered to take her home and she had refused. Her sister told her that Don was a good guy. Joyce thought he was handsome and a very nice gentleman. Don thought she was beautiful, innocent, liked her shy look, and was vulnerable. They started to see each other. Two weeks later she let him take her home. Every other day he would take her out. He could afford her because she did not eat a lot.

Their song is “Buttermilk Sky” because it is the song that was playing the night they met and danced. Their first kiss was the second time they met. It was in front of the dance hall and in his friend's car. They dated for two years and 11 days. They married on December 28, 1948. They went to Davenport, Iowa and Boone to spend time with her sisters. On their way home they stopped in Minnesota and had lunch. On icy roads they made their way back. They were 60 miles away when Joyce realized she had left her purse in the restaurant. When they went back she went in and told them she had left her purse. They had saved it and it still had their money in it.

They lived on Joyce's Dad's farm for five or six months, then they moved to Grafton, North Dakota and lived in a trailer. In 1950 it flooded and there was 18 inches of water in the trailer. February 21, 1950 their daughter Sharon was born in Grafton, North Dakota.

Don's sister and her husband would go to Southern California and would stay for the winter. In 1951 Don and Joyce decided to go to Southern California also. Don and Joyce ended up moving to Southern California because you could make more money and work less hours. In Southern California a day's work was eight hours but in Grafton it was 10 to 12 hours a day. Their trailer was too small so they sold it and got an apartment in the “Courts”.

Don's first job here was working at a fish cannery, but he quit the first day because the cat food and tuna was in the same lane. He later worked as a carpenter. They had originally planned to have four or five kids, but they only got two. Joyce miscarried three times. They did end up getting another. The baby was also a girl. She was born June 8, 1953. They named her Pamela, but also called her Pam. They were young parents – only 19 and 21 when Sharon was born – and 23 and 25 when Pam was born.

December 28, 1998 Donald Alfred Maxwell and Joyce Marie Maxwell celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

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