James Gordon Maxwell

April 20, 1949 – March 8, 2024

Jim slipped away at home as was his and our wish on Friday March 8, 2024 after a diagnosis of ALS at the end of September 2023. Jim accepted this devastating diagnosis with grace, dignity and gratitude for his wonderful life, family, friends and experiences.

Jim was the cherished husband of Beverley (aka Buffy), proud father of Paige (Blair), uncle of Bryan (Suzanne), Jessica and Jacqueline, great uncle of Maxwell and Jackson, brother-in-law of Bill, Leonard and Bruna, and son-in-law of Lorraine. Jim was predeceased by his parents, the Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Maxwell and Anne Elizabeth Maxwell, and sisters Mary Anne Reid (Bill) and Elinor Jane (Lynn) Duncan.

Jim was born in Brockville and grew up in Peterborough and Niagara Falls, and later resided in Toronto, Aurora and Newmarket. After graduating from Victoria College, University of Toronto, Jim began his business career at Crown Life Insurance Company and retired from that career as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at the Deposit Insurance Company of Ontario. Prior to his ALS diagnosis, Jim served on the Advisory Board of Applied Electronics Ltd. for many years.

Jim was a true Beacher, lifelong Ontarian and proud Canadian and his home, heart and joy were felt most keenly at the family cottage on Bruce Beach. Jim’s grandfather purchased No. 7 in 1909, the year of Jim’s father’s birth, and Jim’s parents purchased No. 28 the year of Jim’s birth.

His never-ending dedication to the preservation and improvement of No. 28 has kept it an oasis for the Maxwell and Reid families to enjoy. Jim was an incredible woodworker, encouraged by early years spent by his father’s side at the work bench on the driveway. In his many years as Property Manager and President of Tout’s Grove Association, he restarted the Victoria Day Weekend community work bee and barbecue, oversaw the change from wells to municipal water, organized new playground equipment, and kept the roads and paths trimmed and free of poison ivy and weeds.

He could always be counted on to help a neighbour and if a tool was needed, one could probably be found in his workshop! Many of his enjoyments in life of family, long friendships, community involvement, swimming, sailing, golf, tennis, cycling, butter tarts and an appreciation of our beautiful natural world, were fed by spending every year of his life at Bruce Beach.

A summer in Europe with friends after graduating from university led to a love of travel and seeing the larger world and to an impressive collection of travel tee-shirts. His final trip, postponed by Covid for three years, was a bucket list trip to South Africa, a fitting experience for his travels on earth.