Maxine C. (Lewis) Simmons

Our beautiful mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, and dear friend, Maxine Simmons, 77, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, returned to the arms of her Savior, Saturday morning December 31, 2023, after a short battle with cancer. Our beautiful Mother passed away peacefully, while surrounded by family in a room full of love. We handed our Mother over gracefully to the open arms of so many loved ones waiting to receive her on the other side.

Maxine was born in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, on July 11, 1946, to Max and Dorothy Lewis. She was the youngest of three children, with two sisters, Linda (deceased) and Tamara. Having grown up on a farm in Eaton Rapids, it gave Maxine many opportunities to learn the value of hard work and how to maneuver through life obstacles. She carried this knowledge throughout her life.

Maxine had many passions throughout her life, from crocheting (our family and her friends have many, many of her beautiful afghans) to macrame, and upholstering. Many beautiful pieces were created by her beautiful hands and creative mind.

Nature and gardening flowers and potted plants were another of her greatest joys in life. She was very particular with having a beautiful front porch (she passed this down to many family members) and loved maintaining and growing her flowers. She loved nature and the mountains and spent much of her life outdoors. As a family, some of our greatest memories are of camping at Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. She would take us as often as she could. She loved sharing her love of nature with her children, and then later in life, with her grandchildren. Creating those memories for her family was important to her. Another joy for Maxine was the mountains. Always up for an adventure, she loved road trips in the mountains. Maxine spent 13 years living in Montana, exploring the beauty of the state any chance she could. She loved her children visiting her and sharing that beauty with them.

Maxine raised four incredible children that were the loves of her life. Being a single parent to her children, tough love wasn’t something she was afraid of, and she made sure we had a strong upbringing. She knew what kind of life she wanted us to have and did everything she could to make sure we would all live a successful life. Although tough being a single parent, she always made sure we had a life of adventure that would create a lifetime of memories. She was an amazing mother who taught her children empathy, kindness, compassion, a strong work ethic, and to always be there for each other. She taught her children to live a life of adventure.

Our mother has spent her life creating beautiful with her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and her dear friends.

When our mother touched your life, it was a gift because she would make an imprint on your life forever. She loved and cared deeply and was a great teacher and you could feel that from her.

Maxine will mostly be remembered for her contagious laugh. If you knew Maxine, you knew her laugh. We will miss that most about you mom. Maxine was a magnet to authentic, real people. She made friends wherever she went. She would light up the room wherever she was. Maxine was a spit-fire without a filter. She was full of love and full of spice. You always knew what she was thinking either from her facial expressions or her words. This is what made Maxine, Maxine. She was always confident.

Maxine is a hero to everyone who knew her. An incredibly strong woman who battled many cancers, a stroke, broken hip surgery, and won every one of those battles, except this last one. Maxine was able to leave on her terms, with grace and maintaining her dignity. It was time for her to continue on with her journey. We know you know this Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, and best friend, you were the best thing that ever happened to us all.

We want to give our love to and a heartfelt thank you to the entire staff at Parkwood Meadows Assisted Living. Thank you for loving our mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. We are so grateful to you for taking care of and truly loving Maxine.

Maxine will continue watching over her four children, Shannon (Kim) Gilgen, William, James (Merle) Garnant, Tricia (Greg) Workman; her grandchildren, Josh (Nicole), Jennifer (Jeremy) Gongora, Ashley (Scott) Adamson, Amanda (Todd) Taylor, Bodhi Garnant, Rowan Garnant, Sabrina (Oscar) Trejo, Halle (Tad) Wilson, Colton Workman, Lansing Workman; and 15 great grandchildren.

Funeral services were held on January 2, 2024.