Mrs. Maxey

Rosa Stearns and Bessie Maxey
Pavillion, WY
approximately 1982

Mrs. Maxey was one of my mother's best friends, and for some reason they called each other by their last names.

Mrs. Maxey was disabled (she had club feet), but that did not slow her down. For years she and her husband Roy lived behind the school where they farmed. She had a garden and an orchard. After her husband died, Mrs. Maxey's grandson Wes moved in with her. From time to time, she also took in wayward teens. Eventually, the farm became too much for her, and she and Wes moved into a trailer house on the other side of the school.

The walls of the trailer were lined with photos of students Mrs. Maxey befriended. Seniors would receive a special gift for graduation - a bath towel edged with crochet lace and a crocheted basket attached that held a crochet edged washcloth. She also crocheted hot pads for special gifts.

Mrs. Maxey collected plates (some seen in the photo above) from various states, and they also adorned the walls of the trailer. One item on her wall always intrigued me: a framed collection of angel crowns. I haven't seen anything like it since.

It was common for my mother, my brother and me to visit Mrs. Maxey's after evening chores, and it didn't take long for someone to suggest playing a game of WaHoo. Wes had made the game board for up to eight players out of plywood. Instead of the traditional marbles, the game pieces were two-inch sections of pencils. The games were cut-throat and usually took more than an hour or two to complete.

Of course, during the game we enjoyed coffee and homemade pie, cake, or cookies. I loved Mrs. Maxey's lemon pie. She mixed the lemon filling with Cool Whip, creating a chiffon-type pie that was simply delicious. Her apple cake recipe can be found here.

When her health failed, Mrs. Maxey moved into a nursing home, and my mother and I visited often.