Rev. Dr. George W. Maize III

Reverend Dr. George W. Maize, Ill, was a devoted servant of God and distinguished pastor, presiding elder, evangelist, musician, singer, community activist, and civil rights leader. He was born on March 23, 1939, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and peacefully entered eternal rest on December 25, 2025, in Paramus, New Jersey. His life was a powerful testimony of faithful service, visionary leadership, and unwavering loyalty to God and humanity.
Dr. Maize was the third child born to the late Rev. George W. and Mary Elizabeth Maize. Raised as the son of an itinerant minister, his formative years were shaped by faith, discipline, and resilience as he attended various public and private schools, receiving his early education across multiple states. Growing up during the Great Depression with few material comforts, he learned early the disciplines of perseverance and endurance that shaped his life and ministry. Upon completion of John Adams High School in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Maize matriculated at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1962. He continued his theological preparation at Hood Theological Seminary, also in Salisbury, receiving the Master of Divinity degree in 1965. In recognition of his lifelong faithfulness and exemplary service to the Church, Livingstone College later conferred upon him the Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1998.
Dr. Maize was ordained a Deacon in 1957 and an Elder in 1958 in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church by Bishop William Jacob Walls. His pastoral ministry spanned numerous cities and states, including Snow Hill and Winston-Salem, North Carolina (People's Choice AME Zion Church); Louisville, Kentucky (Spradling Memorial AME Zion Church); Toledo, Ohio (St. Paul AME Zion Church); Jersey City, New Jersey (Metropolitan AME Zion Church); and Ridgewood, New Jersey (Metropolitan AME Zion Church). In 2007, Dr. Maize was appointed Presiding Elder of the Jersey City District of the New Jersey Conference. After that appointment, he also served as Interim Pastor to several congregations, including Varick Memorial (Hackensack), St. Luke (Westfield), and New St. Mark (Westwood).
Beyond the pulpit, Dr. Maize's ministry extended deeply into civic and community life. He was arrested during a civil rights sit-in at Woolworth's eating counter, to protest African American exclusion and discrimination. He attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., further advocating for the civil rights of people of color. He served on local school boards-particularly on committees addressing curriculum development and racial balance-worked with the United States government, served as President of Interdenominational Ministerial Alliances, chaired Mayoral Interfaith Advisory Committees, and served as President of several branches of the NAACP, among many other leadership roles. He was known for his exceptional music talent. While attending Livingstone College, he founded the first Gospel Choir on any college campus, an achievement for which he received institutional recognition in 2025. He recorded two albums at Mother AME Zion Church, with the St. Paul AME Zion Church Youth And Young Adult Choir during his tenure as pastor.
For more than 50 years, Dr. Maize also rendered faithful missionary service in the Caribbean and South America. God afforded him the opportunity and privilege to serve as one of the leading Methodist evangelists of his era, as he touched countless lives through anointed preaching and teaching. His life's testimony was always, "If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living shall not be in vain." Raised during the Great Depression, he learned to see value where others saw none, a trait reflected in his fondness for thrift shops and flea markets.
Reverend Dr. George W. Maize, Ill was married to Catherine Felder Maize for 58 years. She was the love of his life, his best friend, and his soul mate. Together they raised five children: George W. Maize, IV, Ezra T. Maize, Eric D. Maize, Johnsilynn M. Maize-Daniels (Maurice), and Elizabeth C. Maize Toyloy (Everton). He also leaves to cherish his memory eight grandchildren, George V, Aaron, Ezra Jr., Jayelyn, Aliya, Eric Jr., Jacob, and Maurice Jr., two great-grandchildren Niko and Nalaya, eight beloved siblings, endeared in laws, along with a host of spiritual sons and daughters in the ministry who were touched by his example, wisdom, compassion, and unwavering faith.
Dr. Maize's legacy is one of steadfast devotion to God, family loyalty, faithful service to the Church, and a relentless commitment to love and improve humanity. His life stands as a lasting testament to servant leadership and the power of a life wholly surrendered to God. His greatest desire was to reach the masses for Jesus Christ through the preaching and teaching of the gospel.
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