Maxine Hale

Maxine A. Hale

This is not meant to be an ordinary obituary, for it is written to honor a very extraordinary woman, Maxine Arnold Hale. Certainly by all worldly standards, she was an ordinary woman who lived an ordinary life and died an ordinary death; however, she was so much more. She was born into an average family, two loving parents, David Lee and Ruby Meyer Arnold, and four siblings, in a typical small Texas town in Wise County on November 10th, 1922. She lived and worked on the farm until age 16, when she decided to enter college; she was the first in her family to do so. She graduated from North Texas State Teachers College and began her new career as an elementary teacher in Era, Texas. A short time later, she met the local war hero, Cecil Smoky Hale, who must have found her anything but ordinary, for their meeting took place the night before his planned wedding to another woman. Cecil and Maxine married on December 9th, 1944 and were together until his death in 1999. Maxine longed for an average quiet life, but that wasnt to be. Smokys career in the cotton gin business forced them to move wherever cotton grew and so, Maxine and their two children followed. They lived in several states: Texas, California, Arizona, and Tennessee; they moved to Roswell in 1993. For a woman who wanted that small house in a small town where she could put down roots, this lifestyle was often challenging. She was unassuming and quiet and felt most at ease among close friends and family. She was the epitome of a Southern lady.gentile, soft-spoken, gracious, and loving. She never raised her voice in anger nor uttered a single profane word. She did not join any clubs or organizations. She was the woman who sat quietly in church or at any event, the woman no one noticed. She did not desire attention but merely wanted to attend to others.

So what made her so extraordinary In our frantic high-tech world filled with non-stop activities, this woman was content to sit and watch birds build a nest, to go to a shopping center and simply watch people as they hurriedly did their errands, and to quietly read to and rock her children and grandchildren. Her Christian faith also set her apart. She didnt actively serve in any of the many Baptist churches to which she belonged, but she did something much more amazing. She practiced and lived what she believed every day of her life.

Maxine passed away on Monday, September 28th, at Casa Maria Nursing Center where she had received two years of loving and tender care for which we are most grateful. Her earthly remains will be cremated and returned to her family plot in Greenwood, Texas.

Acute dementia took away Maxines memory but not ours. To honor and remember her, a reception will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, October 4th at her daughter Sharons home. During her life, she cherished those times when friends just dropped by for a cup of coffee and to chat. Any one who knew her or her Roswell family are invited. Her family includes: Phil and Teresa Hale, Sharon and Steve Bell, Juanita Arnold Williams, Phil Hale II, Joseph and Bridget Hale Smith, Matt and Amy Bell, John and Leigh Bell Hollis, 11 great grandchildren, Cathie Jackson and Tonja Pfaus.

Maxine Arnold Hale was not unique, for there are many other extraordinary ordinary people who walk among us every day. May her death remind us all to appreciate them more in life.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory. An online registry can be accessed at www.ballardfuneralhome.com