Faye Ellen Maxwell

Faye Ellen Maxwell, age 74, of Austin, Texas passed away peacefully on August 4, 2025 following complications from a head injury that occurred in February, 2025. She was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1951 to Bill and Wilma Doty. She grew up in Ponca City alongside her older sister Sara and younger twins Stan and Gail. She attended school in Ponca City until her family moved to Houston in 1964 where she graduated from Westchester High School in 1969. Her University studies began at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. After one year, she transferred to the University of Texas in Austin and graduated from UT obtaining a degree in Special Education with specialties in visual impairment instruction and mental retardation. Following graduation, Faye married Ken Whiddon, who was in the Air Force, stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, TX, working as an airplane mechanic. They divorced in 1978, Ken passed away in 1984, following years of struggle with brain cancer. On December 22nd, 1984 Faye married Jim Maxwell at her parents home in Walden on Lake Conroe, Texas. They were married over 40 years. In retirement, Faye and her husband, Jim did volunteer work in Mexico in the town of Rio Bravo on the Mexican border. While there, they taught English to school chilldren and helped repair houses. In addition to doing volunteer work in Mexico, Faye and Ji;m also participated in volunteer avtivities in Jamaica where Faye was able to assist visually impaired adults in selecting appropriate donated eyeglasses that were brought from the United States. Beyond Jamaica and Mexico, international travel also included trips to Costa Rico and Canada. Faye is best remembered for her strongly held spiritual beliefs and her interest in doing whatever she could to help the homeless and disadvantaged persons. She is survived by her husband, Jim, her sister, Sara Bruhm in Kansas City, sister Gail Miller in Los Angeles, California and brother Stan Doty of Los Altos, California. She also has six nieces and nephews, a grandniece and a grandnephew and 15 cousins. In addition, and not the least important, Faye is survived by many friends with whom she connected frequently.