Marie Maxedon

Dorothy Marie Maxedon was born in Hardin County Tennessee on April 28th 1928 to Grady and Tennie Counce. Marie was welcomed into her heavenly home on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 at the age of 96 surrounded by her loving family and caregivers.  

Marie graduated from Selmer High School in 1946. In 1947, she embarked on an adventure of a lifetime with her husband and love of her life, P.J. Maxedon.  Marie worked alongside her husband at their family grocery store and her beloved bakery for many years.  Marie was a true Proverbs 31 wife and mother.  She was actively involved in the lives of her two children by leading Sunday School, being the Boy Scout Mom Leader and the Rainbow Girls Leader. She also never missed either of her children’s activities or events.  Marie attended First United Methodist Church in Selmer for over 60 years where she was a humble servant active in the United Methodist Women at the local, district, and national levels and even served as President of the UMW.  Marie lived a life based on her favorite scripture, Matthew 22:36-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” . . . “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Besides her devotion to her family and her church, Marie loved to serve others who were in need.  Her love language was her delicious food she baked for all she knew or those she found along her journey of life who needed food.  She opened her home, her kitchen, and her wallet to anyone she saw along her path in need.  Marie loved attending Bible Studies in her church, other churches, or homes of friends. She loved sharing God’s word and His love with others. She also loved to sew and create items for the church Bazaar. 

     Marie and P.J. also had a love for God’s amazing nature.  Their children and grandchildren remember the many stories they would share about their adventures across  the U.S. in their airstream trailer.  “Mamaw” and “Papaw” loved to share a home cooked meal and share stories of these adventures with the younger generations.  

    Marie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, P.J. (Pitts Jones) Maxedon, her parents, Grady and Tennie Counce, her two brothers, Norvel Counce and Gene Counce, and her son-in-law, William Gary Kerby. Marie will be dearly missed by her two children Wayne Maxedon and Terrie Kerby (Gary, deceased).  Mamaw leaves behind a loving group of grandchildren and great grandchildren: Bree (Corey) Barry, (Beckett Barry); Brandice (Trenton) Searcy, (Jaxson and Hudson Searcy); Tammy (Todd) Moorman, (Mason, Parker, Anna, and Walker Moorman); Jill (Jimmy) Gray, (Kerby (Lilly) Gray; Kaitlyn (Josh) Davis, Kensley (Grant) McMahan, Keaton Gray (fiancee Malory Wigginton), Katherine and Khloe Gray); Julie (Tom) Turner, (William, Hudson, and Juliana Turner).  Mamaw also had the joy of seeing 4 great-great grandsons enter the world: Luke and Noah Davis and Miles and Walker Gray. 

Memorials may be given to First United Methodist Church or a charity of your choice in her memory.  

Our heartfelt thanks to her loving caregivers, Legacy Hospice for their devoted care the last 3 weeks of her earthly life, and to Pat Brooks for her gift of sweet written words in a card to mom each week over the past 5 years.  

    In our world filled with much darkness, Marie was a light to all those she met along the way and would often remind her family of two important truths that we would like to share– take life one day at a time and do all things with love.  As Christ said best, “well-done, my good and faithful servant.”