Maxene Smith Paschal, 91, known to all as Mackie, was called home by God’s dear Son and her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on January 3, 2020. She was preceded in death by her husband and the love of her life, Joseph D. Paschal Sr., in July of 1975.
She is survived by her daughter, Kim Paschal Pride of Greenville, TX and her son, Joseph D. Paschal Jr. of Jackson, MS; her grandchildren, Matthew Pride of Greenville, TX, Shelby Pride Myers of Columbia, MO; Jared Pride of Cedar Hill, TX; Abigail Pride Hamilton of Reno, TX; Michael Pride of Arlington, TX and SSgt Jacob Pride of Mildenhall AFB, UK. She is also survived by five great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mackie was born to Mary Case and Isom C. Smith, the eighth child of nine, in Brookhaven, MS in 1928. Her family then moved to Jackson in 1945. There she attended Central High School and graduated in 1948. She did her patriotic duty as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol during WW2. She frequently spoke of her time flying, especially with her youngest grandson who is now in the Air Force.
While at Central High School she met Joseph Paschal. She would relate the story often of how he ran several blocks to get on the bus she was riding in order to meet her. They married in December of 1950.
Her parents instilled in her a solid work ethic. She worked after school, in 1948, as an assistant and secretary to John S. Beach, an attorney. He often told her that she had a good head for business and would make a fine lawyer. She worked in a variety of jobs from secretary to title clerk to office manager in a myriad of industries.
She then in 1961, attended Jackson School of Law, which later became Mississippi College School of law. She received her LLB in 1963 which was upgraded to a JD in 1980, by Mississippi College after their receiving the ABA accreditation.
She always said she loved the law because it gave structure to society as a whole. While in law school she worked at the Watkins and Eager law firm. She was the legal secretary for Dugas Shands, a lawyer she greatly admired and was wont to say had a brilliant legal mind.
She was a clerk in the Mississippi State Supreme Court after graduating law school and being admitted to the Mississippi State Bar in 1964. She clerked for Judges William Ethridge and Thomas Brady.
Landis, Graham, French, Husfeld, Sherman and Ford, P.A. , known presently as Landis, Graham, French, in Deland, FL was the last law firm in which she would work in private practice. She was the legal researcher and personal assistant to Ted Husfeld, another man she esteemed as an outstanding lawyer.
She did hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal work, pro bono, for family, friends and acquaintances in the 55 years she was a licensed attorney.
Upon her return to Jackson, MS, because of the illness of her husband and the subsequent need for family support, she became an employee of the US government working for the DVA Regional Office. She worked tirelessly for the veterans of our nation for 34 years. Anytime she met a veteran that needed help, regardless of the circumstance, she would get the information and give them her name, so she could help. She retired at 79.
Mackie was a true follower of Jesus Christ. She was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church for many years. She returned to the church of her mother, the Church of God of Prophecy, after her husband’s passing. She aspired, as did the Apostle Paul, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
She used to quote her mother often, “Children make your calling and election sure, because there are no second chances.” She will see us again on that bright morning, because people do indeed live forever.
