Maxine Montgomery

Bend, Oregon Maxine Montgomery (born Grace Maxine Carter) passed away peacefully on August 15, 2015, surrounded by family and loved ones. Maxine led an extraordinary life, and was a blessing to everyone whose lives she touched. Her warm and infectious smile, her genuine love for people, and her zest for life will be remembered by all who had the privilege to know her. Maxine was born July 10, 1922 in Johnson, Kansas, and as a young girl lived on a series of homesteads close to the Colorado border. After years of dust storms, tornadoes, and uncertain wheat crops, her father Ike Carter moved the family out of the Dust Bowl to Powell Butte, Oregon in 1936, where the Carters operated a small farm. Ike and Lilly Carter made many friends there, and helped to found both the Powell Butte Christian Church and the churchs Lords Acre Sale. After graduating from Redmond (OR) High School in 1939, Maxine worked for Western Union in Prineville, Oregon, then in the state capital of Salem, finally taking a job in the still-unfinished Pentagon during the early years of World War II. She married the love of her life, Dale F. McKenzie of Prineville on April 15, 1943 in Denver, Colorado, where Dale was stationed. After the war, Maxine and Dale settled down in Grandview, Washington where Dale was an attorney for over twenty years, and Maxine forged amazing friendships that would last her entire life. At Grandview, Maxine joined P.E.O. in 1957, and she dearly loved attending the meetings, supporting the organizations philanthropic work, and developing close relationships with fellow members. And it was in Grandview where Maxine and Dale began their family, becoming the parents of Michael and Tim. After Dales death in 1973, Maxine moved to Bend, Oregon where she lived for over forty years. Even in the High Desert, Maxine demonstrated her green thumb and managed to grow a wide variety of flowers (including rhododendrons!), and she also found love again, marrying Norman Swanson in 1978, and after Norm passed, her old high school flame Burt Montgomery in 2002. Maxine never lost her love of life or of people, and no matter how large the adversity that came her way, she treasured her family, her friends, and her faith. She enjoyed attending Trinity Lutheran Church in Bend, and made more friendships as she supported the many activities of the church. To say she will be missed is truly an understatement. Maxine was a charter member of the Greatest Generation, but despite her amazing ability to play a role in some of the greatest events of the 20th-Century, it will be her warmth and love, her amazing loyalty and generosity, and her passion for life that her family and friends will remember most. Maxine is survived by her sister Iradell Kilgore of Terrebonne and her brother Sidney Carter of Prineville, as well as her sons Michael (Allison) and Tim (Mary), two grandchildren Isaac and Molly, and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of the life of Maxine Montgomery will be held at 11:00 am on August 21, 2015 at Powell Butte Christian Church in Powell Butte, Oregon. Memorial donations may be made in Maxines name to P.E.O. or to Powell Butte Christian Church. Funeral Home: Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home New 105 NW Irving Ave Bend, OR US 97701

Tributes

Maxine Montgomery

July 10, 1922 - August 15, 2015