Maxine Maloney

In Loving Memory of Gayle "Max" Maxine Maloney

April 26, 1947 – February 17, 2026

Gayle Maxine Maloney - known to everyone as Max, because she preferred it that way - was a force of nature. Born April 26, 1947, in Ogden, Utah, to Fred LeRoy Brown and Mary LaRue Tippets Brown, she was the third child and first daughter in a lively family of nine. From the beginning, she carried light, laughter, and a strength that would shape generations.

When Max entered a room, it lit up. She would saunter in with her cute smile and a playful, "Did you miss me?" breaking into sweet songs like Little Cabin in the Woods and teaching the kids cute pranks like, "Thanks for cleaning my toilet."

Laughter followed her everywhere, even into hospital rooms. Nurses adored her fun personality. When a male nurse placed a bracelet on her wrist, she smiled and declared, "Now you're my boyfriend." Waking from major surgery, the first thing she said was "Tadahhh!" - and those who love her, imagine that was the very word she spoke as she stepped into heaven, knowing she had done life right.

Max married young to Neil Grayson Hussey, becoming a mother at 15, to her daughters Lori and Jan. She often said she "grew up with her kids," and she did so with grit, humor, and unwavering devotion. She was widowed at 25, yet met life head-on, later marrying Dennis Maloney and blending their families together as they created a home filled with love, resilience, and opportunity.

In Roy and later Huntsville, Utah, Max opened her heart and home to more than 200 foster boys over the years. Two of them, Paul and Thomas, became her sons through adoption. She mothered fiercely and loved unconditionally. She built a 10-bedroom home not for comfort, but for purpose - because she knew there were more children who needed safety, laughter, and someone to believe in them.

Widowed again at 50, she continued forward with her characteristic determination. She was known as the rock of her family - the one you called when life felt overwhelming. Her advice was steady, optimistic, and fearless. She never held a grudge. She refused to let negativity steal her joy. Her motto was simple and unapologetic: "I do what I want."

She taught her children and grandchildren, "If you can think of it, you can do it." She showed them not to bend to chaos, not to engage in unnecessary battles, but to rise above. Her calm strength became legend in her family as she embodied resilience and independence.

Max was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Gary, Carl, and Mark Brown; and her sister VerDene Stephens, who passed just thirteen days before her.

She leaves behind her daughters Lori and Jan; her sons Paul and Thomas; her five stepchildren; her beloved siblings Glen, Neil, Korene, and Alan; her four grandchildren; her three great-grandchildren; and the hundreds of foster children whose lives she forever changed.

Maxine passed unexpectedly on February 17, 2026, on the evening of a spectacular Ring of Fire solar eclipse. Some say that the perfect timing of an abrupt departure during a Ring of Fire solar eclipse signifies intentional completion and transformation.

And those closest to Max can't help but smile and believe that her Higher Self had planned her grand exit all along . . . to be with her dear sister . . . and to better guide her remaining loved ones through journeys yet to come.

She always said she would live to be 100. In spirit, in memory and in the echo of her laughter - she will. She will be greatly missed and never . . . EVER . . . forgotten . . . as she kept true to her fiery force of nature . . . going out in a blaze of glory . . . in a burning Ring of Fire. Tadahhh!

Memorial service for Maxine will be held:

Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 1:00 PM, Upstairs

Perry City Lodge and Events Center (please use South entrance)

1950 South Hwy 89, Perry, Ut 84302

Luncheon and Celebration of Life will start at 2:30 PM in the same location.

Max always said that when she passes, she wants a big dance party with a live band. So, in true Maxine fashion, a Ring of Fire Dance Party with live music will happen at Maxine's house at 6:30 PM. Bring your dancing shoes!