Maxine Lillith Shand

Maxine Lillith Staley Shand died Dec. 13, 2014, at the age of 101. She had been a resident of Amarillo, Texas, since 1951. She was born Sept. 22, 1913, in Pueblo, Colorado. Maxine was the only child of parents Bessie Wallen Staley and Alfred Staley. After Maxine’s mother’s death in 1917, and her father’s death in 1919, Maxine lived in Halfway, Oregon, and Marshalltown, Iowa. Maxine attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child in Halfway, and she graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1932. She came along when women first began wearing pants and driving rumble-seat cars. Maxine married Clyde Shand in 1936. Clyde worked as a plumber and master electrician. Maxine and Clyde became the parents of Karen Louise Shand (later Downey), Linda Sue Shand (later Hopper), and Myrtle Elizabeth Shand (later Turner). Clyde died in 1951 after a work accident in Amarillo.

Maxine worked at J.C. Penney in the piece goods department first, and later, she was manager in the shoe department. She served generations of families over time before her retirement at age 70. Maxine then began her more than 30 years of volunteering at Northwest Texas Hospital as an Auxiliary member, where she mainly worked in the surgery waiting room helping patients’ family members. In her volunteer job, she made stockings for newborns during the holiday season. Just a few months before her death, the Auxiliary named her an Emeritus Member of the NWTH Auxiliary, as she was the oldest active living member of the volunteer organization at the hospital.

Maxine was known as “Grandmere” to her seven grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and to the many other families and their children for whom she babysat. She always provided love and good conversation to her family and friends. She taught her family to be independent, to stay positive, to work hard, to be patient, to be creative, to be kind and to be happy. Her attitude throughout her life was to: “Put your head up, shoulders back, and smile, and everything would work out okay.”

Maxine’s daughter, Karen Downey, died in October of this year. Survivors of Maxine’s death are her daughter, Beth Turner of Lubbock, and her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Jerry Hopper of Edmond, Oklahoma. Other survivors include her grandchildren: Misty Hayes, Matt Turner and Monte Turner; Kippra Hopper, Lindy Hopper and Neely Hopper; and Tad Downey. She also leaves behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and many friends.