Maxine June Strid

June 7, 1918 – Jan. 8, 2018

Maxine June (Anderson) Strid, 99, died Jan. 8, 2018, due to natural causes, peacefully, in sleep, in her apartment at The Terrace assisted living facility located in Homer, Alaska. Maxine had lived for a truly remarkable 99 1/2 years.

Maxine June Anderson was born on June 7, 1918, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to parents William and Jennette (Burg) Anderson. She grew up on a farm 10 miles north of Hettinger, North Dakota, and attended high school in Hettinger, graduating in 1936. Maxine moved to Minneapolis after high school and graduated from the Minnesota School of Business, then worked for the Waldorf Paper Company and General Mills in Minneapolis as a clerk, typist and bookkeeper.

Maxine met her future husband, Lloyd Strid, while in high school. Lloyd was the brother of her best high school friend, Marcella Strid. Maxine married Lloyd when he returned to the States after service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. They then moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where Lloyd attended the University of Wyoming under the GI Bill, studying Civil Engineering. After Lloyd graduated in 1950, they moved to Denver, Colorado, with three children. Eventually, Maxine and Lloyd had and raised a family of six children and lived in Laramie Wyoming, Denver, Colorado, Hungry Horse, Montana, Huron, South Dakota, Ravenswood, West Virginia, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, as Lloyd’s employment dictated. In 1966, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska. In 2014, Maxine moved to Homer, a favorite town and place of hers, where she took up residency at The Terrace.

Maxine was a lifelong learner, raising six children and then continuing with volunteer work for various groups. Before the “women’s liberation” movement, she took pride in referring to her occupation as “Home Manager,” and on occasion, “Domestic Engineer,” rather than being identified simply as a “housewife” or “homemaker.” She deserved and earned such pride after managing the home and raising six children, all who became highly successful citizens with professional careers. Retaining her sanity after so much patient and nurturing mothering was quite the accomplishment. Her children thrived from her strong foundational values of integrity, efficiency, and compassion.

Throughout Maxine’s life she was a tireless volunteer, devoting many hours to her children’s 4-H activities, and school music and science programs. After her children grew up, she continued volunteering for several service organizations in Anchorage, including KAKM, 55 Alive, Anchorage Senior Center, reading for the blind, and the Dimond Center Transit Snack Bar, to name a few. She was a major supporter of the UAA Fine Arts programs. She attended all of UAA’s Theatre and Dance programs as well as many of their music events. In addition she contributed to many non-profit organizations.

Maxine’s ongoing pursuit of knowledge always adapted her to the times, cultures, behaviors, and technology changes. She even learned to use an iPad at age 97. Maxine’s cooking was awesome (especially her chocolate chip cookies). She was an avid gardener, and talented seamstress. Her favorite past-times included flowers, cribbage, coffee, music, and good stories and time with her friends and family. Her other endeavors included studying writing styles and Swedish; she was very well read. She did not hesitate to occasionally give a politician or company CEO a piece of her mind, when she felt they needed a little course correction. And as an able first mate on Lloyd’s boating adventures, she definitely “went with the flow”.

Preceding Maxine in death were her parents, her sisters Sylvia Anderson and Merle Harris, and her husband Lloyd. Surviving are her children, Claire McKenney, Gillette Wyoming; Karen-Strid Chadwick, Homer; Janet Brown, Fairbanks; Dean Strid and Gene Strid, Anchorage; Eric Strid, White Salmon, Washington; grandchildren, Wesley McKenney Jr., Laura Shedden, Jennifer McKenney, Jeffrey McKenney, all in Gillette, Wyoming; Whitney Moretti, Anaheim, California; Logan Strid, Playa del Rey, California; Kyla Strid, Lawrence, Kansas; Carl Strid, Eagle River; April Strid, Corvallis, Oregon, and Collin Strid, Portland Oregon; and 13 great grandchildren.

Please watch for a future notification of events celebrating Maxine’s life, which the family is planning for early this summer. The family also asks that you please consider giving to a charity of your choice in honor and memory of Maxine.

Arrangements were by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.