Madonna Faye Maxey

Madonna Faye Maxey (Malone) was born on September 5th, 1938, in Gays, Illinois to Florence Malone (Voegel) and Willard Malone. She was raised in Gays, then later in Mattoon, Illinois. She attended Mattoon Grade School and graduated from Mattoon High School in 1956 where she was a member of the Latin Club, the Pepsi Club, and the Robed Choir. It was there that she met her future husband, William Clark Maxey.

They were married on October 21st, 1956, at the First Christian Church in Mattoon by Reverend Massey. After the marriage, they moved to California for a few years to start their family. Madonna was a dedicated mother and homemaker and worked as a Teacher's Aide at Tolleson Grammar School in Tolleson, Arizona. She was always motivational, adventurous, and outgoing. She was happy, generous, and a wonderful cook. My favorites were her homemade tacos and German chocolate cake, which I would invariably request for my birthday.

She taught me to thread a needle, darn my own socks, bake pecan cookies, and how to speak up for myself. She was very artistic and enjoyed embroidery, needle point, sewing and later adult coloring books. She had great fashion sense and loved to shop. She entertained the residents at the nursing homes in Mattoon with a group of other beautiful ladies who would perform line dancing to country music. She also volunteered at the Senior Life Span Center and Coles County Council on Aging in Mattoon on the days when the Veterans got together.

Every year she would plant flowers and grow tomatoes in her backyard. She was always so loving toward our cats, especially Curly and Lilly. We owe a debt of gratitude to all the caregivers at Edgewood Downs and Edgewood Point for their unwavering compassion. Madonna passed away peacefully on August 19th 2026. She is preceded in death by her husband, William Clark Maxey; her daughters, Kathy Jean Maxey, Karen Darlene Maxey; and her son, Randal Ray Maxey. Madonna touched many, many lives and I believe she would like to be remembered as someone who gave all that she could for as long as she could.

She is survived by her son, Donald Maxey; daughter, Angela Maxey; grandchildren, Gilda, Corbin and Hazel Gerdes, Jeanine Ashkins and Jennifer Jensen; and great-grandchildren, Sarah, David and Bella Jensen.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations to Meow Village would be greatly appreciated to help the feral and homeless cat population. They are an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit and all donations are tax deductible. https://meowvillage.org

I think she would like that.