Maxine Lillias Cramer (Lindsey) Obituary (1933

Maxine Lillias (Lindsey) Cramer, 83, formerly of Union, died peacefully and surrounded by love early Sunday morning, September 11, 2016 at the Sussman House in Rockport. Maxine was born into the loving arms of Maurice E. and Lillias A. (Kenniston) Lindsey on March 28, 1933 in the village of Warren, Maine. Always surrounded by a loving family, she grew up in Warren, sharing much of her time with her parents, aunts and cousins, whom she adored- and at age 11, Maurice and Lillias welcomed Maxine's brother Ronnie into their lives. Maxine loved to play with Ronnie and their dog Skippy, and spent hours rocking him, and doting on him, she loved being a big sister. Tragically Ronnie was only with them three short years before he passed. The family was devastated and Maxine always longed for her dear brother. Maxine attended Warren schools, she could be found many Friday nights at dances and in her free time with her cousins Gary & Marion as well as many friends. It was also then that she discovered her love for the piano. She took a few lessons, but played mostly "by ear" for friends and family for years. Maxine enjoyed school, and graduated from Warren High School- third in her class of 17, in 1951. Maxine met Mike Cramer while in high school but it wasn't until he returned on leave from the military in 1953 that they began dating. They married in 1954, and started a family. By mid-1957 they happily had a daughter, Peggy, and a son, Mickey. After high school, Maxine worked at Tibbetts, and then Sylvania and was overjoyed when she was able to be a stay at home mom with her children; she loved them dearly and loved being their mom. Maxine was an avid member of the Eastern Star and was appointed Grand Electa of the Grand Chapter of Maine, Order of the Eastern Star in 1966, which was quite an honor for her; she stayed with the Eastern Star for many years thereafter and enjoyed all the friendships she made during those years. Maxine also worked a few odd jobs from time to time which included driving a mail route, working at Susa-Belle's on the Common- which she loved, and at Hills Boarding Home. She always enjoyed speaking with people from all walks of life. Maxine certainly was a conversationalist and loved to share stories. By late spring 1981, Maxine was a grandmother to Jen, Matthew and Nakia. She loved to have them around her and looked forward to her time with them; each with their own set of shared interests and inside jokes or shared memories. Holidays were always a highlight for Maxine and she was always decorating, cooking, singing, laughing and dancing around with her family surrounding her. She loved reading books, researching history and writing short stories and poems. She also did an extensive genealogy on her family history, and lovingly made copies for all her family. Maxine and Mike had a successful Volkswagen-Mazda dealership in Rockland in the 80's and spent many years traveling to exciting places, going to dances with friends, snowmobiling, and sharing lots of time at the cabin on Sennebec Lake with family and loved ones and her little Poodle "Pepsi" - all the things that brought her joy. In 1996, Maxine was learning to find her independence and began clog dancing lessons, as well as Finnish lessons. Over the next decade, she continued to travel with friends, share time with her growing family which now included three great-grandchildren Matthew, Carter and Brady- and she worked part time at Reeds Gift Shop. She discovered a love of riding Harley Davidson motorcycles and spent many years with her companion Jud doing just that, as well as many more snowmobile trips, lots of dancing and a shared love of reading. In her later years, Maxine lived in Union and later Rockland and Camden. She enjoyed time with her cat "Hawes" and her companion Bill immersed in activities around the Midcoast, reading and watching the birds. Most evenings and weekends, Maxine was out and about, chatting and laughing with granddaughter Nakia. Maxine was a sweet, gentle, quick-witted soul, and knew what was important in life. She spent time with her family, and amongst all the people and things she loved so dearly. She had a full, fun and wonderful life filled with many beloved friends and relatives. She shared her stories and smiles with everyone she met and her laugh was contagious. Maxine is survived by her adoring and devoted family- daughter Peggy Bade and her husband Steve of South Thomaston, son Mickey Cramer and his wife Anna of Carmel, granddaughter Jen Chapman of Thomaston, grandson Matt Chapman and his wife Michelle and their three sons Matthew, Carter and Brady of West Virginia, and granddaughter Nakia Cramer and her husband David Rawley Jr of Waldoboro. Many thanks from our family to the staff at the Courtyard at Quarry Hill, for always being so attentive and willing to help in any capacity. Your love, unending effort and Johnny Cash songs brought so much joy to Maxine's life. Thank you to the staff at the Sussman House who brought comfort and calm when it was most needed. We are and will be forever grateful. It's hard to summarize such a charismatic woman in so few words, please come visit and share stories with us from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Friday September 16, 2016 at the Burpee Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral home. A celebration of Maxine's life followed by a reception with refreshments, and interment in Warren will be held Saturday September 17, 2016 beginning at 11:00am at the Burpee Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, located at 110 Limerock Street in Rockland Maine.2d:{"dateTime":"2016-09-16T1