Maxine S. McGinnis

1945 - 2021

Maxine S. McGinnis 1945 - 2021 A caring wife, loving mother, devoted grandmother and friend to everyone who knew her, Maxine S. McGinnis unexpectedly departed this life for another on Friday, July 2, 2021 at home. Maxine was born June 12, 1945 in a WWII Japanese-American internment camp in Rohwer, Arkansas and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she spent her childhood. Maxine attended Trumbull Elementary School and then went on to attend Senn High School. After Senn High School, she attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she met her husband, Ron McGinnis. Maxine obtained her B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and went on to obtain her master's degree in audiology at the University of Connecticut. After graduation, Maxine followed her dream to work in San Francisco. She began her career as an audiologist with the San Francisco Speech and Hearing Center, then the San Francisco Unified School District and for the last years of her career, the Shoreline Unified School District serving as an itinerant speech therapist. She loved working with the children there and often attended the high school graduation ceremonies for students she had worked with in grade school. Maxine was a beloved friend across many different groups and communities including multiple book clubs, investment club, her children's daycare group, the "Chang Gang," her Marin Academy Alum Mums, and water aerobics group. She was a natural conversationalist, often stopping to chat wherever she would go. Happy and kind, she brought brightness and solace into hearts and lives. Curious and caring, Maxine had a genuine interest in the story of each person she met. She looked for and found the best in people, which made them feel valued and loved. Her sense of fun and humor brought joy to all who knew her. Maxine's father, George Miyata, stepfather George Shizuru, and mother Sumiko Shizuru (Tsubouchi) preceded her in death. She is survived by her half-brother Robert Miyata; husband Ron; son Kiyoshi McGinnis and daughter-in-law Jenny Lam McGinnis; daughter Erin Breck (McGinnis) and son-in-law Hunter Breck; grandchildren Bruce, Ally, and Chase McGinnis, and Forest Breck. She was better known to family as 'Bachan' and was an attentive, patient, loving grandmother, always ready to play games with the children. Private inurnment services will be held at the Fernwood Mortuary the 24th of July. A Celebration of Life will be held at a date to be announced later, where all who knew and loved her as we did can gather to share memories. Donations in remembrance of Maxine can be made to: Japanese American National Museum, ATTN: Development, 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012, https://www.janm.org/give; or to National Japanese American Historical Society, 1684 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, Phone: 415.921.5007, Fax: 415.921.5087, https://www.njahs.org/donate/.