Obituary of Mary Beth Maxwell

Mary Beth Maxwell, a faithful servant of the Lord, went home to glory on Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024.  Almost 96, Mary Beth leaves behind a large family and circle of friends, reuniting with family and friends who have gone before her and seeing her Jesus face-to-face.  She was born 5-16-1928 in Mobile, Alabama to William L. Cooper and Catherine ‘Kitty’ Tomlinson Cooper.  She grew up in Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky before her parents became Baptist missionaries to Argentina and they moved to Buenos Aires.  She returned to the US after 5 years and attended Blue Mountain College until her marriage. She married the love of her life, John ‘Jack’ Maxwell, Sr., (whom she met when she was in the 1^st grade), in 1947.  She attended Mississippi College graduating in 1948 and joining her husband in Germany where he was serving with the USAF on the Berlin Airlift.  Jack remained with the USAF for a total of 27 years, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and Mary Beth and their 6 children followed him to assignments in 5 states, Canada, and Italy.  Mary Beth and the kids stayed in Nashville while Jack was in Vietnam for 13 months.  After he retired, he continued to fly as a corporate pilot and they continued to move finally ending up in Denver, Colorado.  There they stayed for more than 35 years.  Always active in church, Mary Beth sang in the choir, taught Sunday School for 30 years, and always supported and encouraged those called to serve the Lord in whatever way she could.  She was an avid reader, a life-long learner, a plant lover, a knitter, a seamstress, and a lover of all babies.  She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her six children: Kathy Maxwell, John Maxwell Jr., Vivian Huntsman, Margaret Hayes, Bill Maxwell, Sally Earls (Elijah); 9 grandchildren Katie Herndon (Boomer), Cole Maxwell (Lizz), Courtney Maxwell, Brent Maxwell, Brooke Myers (Scott), John Hayes (Janelle), David Hayes (Allison), Mary Hayes, Coral Maxwell; and 5 great grandchildren: Jaxx Maxwell, Conner Maxwell, Dominic Maxwell, Isaiah Herndon, and Jordan Herndon, and two brothers Bill Cooper and Thomas R. Cooper (Sally), and her sister-in-law Jean Cooper. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church, 205 E. Main St. in Gallatin, Tennessee on April 13^th.  Visitation will be from 10 AM – 12 PM, with the service immediately following.  The service will be live streamed (https://fbcgallatin.org – look for link to her service).  Her body will be buried with her beloved Jack at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mission Fund at First Baptist Church Gallatin (fbcgallatin.org – see Giving Online and put Mary Beth’s name in the memo) or to Ethne Global Services (ethneglobalservices.org – put Mary Beth’s name in ‘Where donation should be applied’).