Obituary of Maxine Iris Sears

January 2, 1932 - Esdraelon, New Brunswick
December 18, 2021 - Calgary, Alberta

“I came out of the woods with sticks in my hair” is how she described her emergence from the family farm in rural New Brunswick.  Her verve, drive and ambition led her to become a registered nurse, a career that was highly ambitious for a woman of that time and place.  This nursing background and her striking looks were the necessary attributes that allowed her to become a stewardess with TransCanada Airlines.  She found a persistent suitor in Dr. Fred Sears, someone she said who could “charm the birds out of the trees”, and went on to marry him, unable to resist.  Fred and Maxine moved out west to forge a life together, where five children – Elizabeth, Pat, Gord, Pamela, and Kathy – would come in quick succession or “bang-bang-bang” as she would say.  She proceeded to haul them up (again her words) at a time in her life marked by the fun and games she had with their wide circle of friends, which included golf, curling, bridge and summers at the lake.  After Fred died - too soon - Maxine returned out east to be near her ailing parents.  There she remained active well into her 70s, when many of her contemporaries had long since retired to a rocking chair.  In her final act, she moved to Calgary to be near her kids. 

Maxine loved jewelry and anything that “sparkled”.  She enjoyed “running the roads”.  She dressed to the nines for air travel.  She had a healthy disdain for weather forecasts, preferring to get up and simply “scan the skies”.  She kept us all amused by the funny expressions she would use to describe things, echoing the salty remarks made by her own mother.  She was intensely devoted to her kids and was never happier than the time spent in their company.  This beautiful woman with her flashing green eyes, wit, and irascible charm will be dearly missed.

We’re all okay, Mother dear.  Rest easy.