- Date Of Birth: January 17, 1928
- Date Of Death: January 3, 2021
- State: Michigan
Maxine Marie Moran (Jungel) died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism on January 3, 2021 at Friendship Village where she was recovering from a back procedure. She was born the youngest of five children in Lawrence, Michigan on January 17, 1928 to Paul and Florence (Warren) Jungel all of whom preceded her in death.
Maxine graduated from Lawrence High School in 1945 and attended Parson’s Business School in Kalamazoo after which she began working for Stanley Home Products. She continued working there until the birth of her second child however continued to work for the company as vacation relief for several years after.
In 1948 she married George James Moran and proceeded to have four children, Marty James Moran (Jackie), Kathy Ann Paul (A. Michael Winegar), Roxanne Fawley (Tom) and Kevin Patrick Moran (Karen). She was preceded in death by her daughter, Roxanne and is survived by three children, eleven grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and her special companion of 47 years, David VanDeWalker.
All her life Maxine loved to be active especially outdoors. She grew up on Reynolds Lake in Lawrence where she developed a love of the water which never left her. She was also known for her fondness of walking and was often spotted on Oakland Drive or Whites Road which were quite the treks from her Oakwood home. While her children were growing up, she often joined them and the neighborhood kids at the nearby schoolyard for Softball games or just hanging out. Maxine was also involved with the Oakwood Youth Association and helped with many of the fund-raising activities for maintaining the neighborhood’s private beach on Woods Lake including beach cleanups, ice-cream socials and dances thus developing a special bond with many of them that endured throughout the years. Since she lived in the same home from 1950 to the present it is not surprising that people from those special days would frequently drop in for a chat.
As a stay-at-home mom, Maxine began to babysit for extra income. It started with a niece and a couple of teachers’ kids in the middle 1960’s, and snow-balled by word of mouth until she retired in the late 1980’s. She ran a tight but loving daycare where she would average ten to fourteen children (often more) with no chaos and lots of toys, games, and activities. Her home began to reflect the cheerfulness associated with happy children and every holiday, both major and minor, she decorated inside and outside with an overabundance of flourish and lights. She was so proud of her award for best Christmas lights display presented by the Oakwood Neighborhood Association that the newspaper article is framed and hanging in her living room. Amazingly, she never lost her passion for decorating for holidays eventually recruiting her kids and grandkids when she lost her ability to accomplish the task herself.
After her retirement she continued with her daily dispensing of treats to anyone who came to her door. Since she lived so close to the elementary school, kids walked by her house to and from school and took advantage of those opportunities. Word quickly spread and she became known as “The Candy Lady”. More than one parent phoned the school with questions regarding her character and were given assurances that they need not worry; Maxine was okay.
After retirement, Maxine discovered golf and bowling and enjoyed these sports until age 88 when she had shoulder surgery and later broke her hip. However even as arthritis crippled her hands and as her eyesight began to fail, she continued to enjoy her passion of working in her flower beds until that, too, became impossible. Not one to give in or give up, Maxine continued to go to the bowling alley to cheer on her team. As her mobility further decreased, she enjoyed semi-monthly get together with her friends for cribbage. More recently with increased isolation, Maxine enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, cribbage, reading and her hand-held poker games.
Maxine was an inspiration to her children, grandchildren and many, many others over the years including former charges many of whom she has kept in touch with. A true optimist, she embraced life and expressed her love and gratitude for her many blessings despite experiencing tragedy and trials throughout her long life. Maxine was a woman of deep faith and found joy in every new day. Her survivors find comfort in the knowledge that she is pain-free and blissful in her final home with her Lord and Savior.
