Patricia Ann "Pat" Maxwell

Patricia "Pat" Ann Maxwell, 70, of Ogden Dunes, Indiana, passed away peacefully on December 18, 2025, surrounded by her loving husband, Ed, and her children, Brendan, Caitlin, and Clare.
Born on July 5, 1955 in South Holland, Illinois to Marge and Arch Reimann, Pat was the oldest of seven children. She attended Saint Jude the Apostle before moving to Glen Ellyn, where she graduated from Glenbard South High School. Growing up, her family summered on the lake in Grand Beach, Michigan, where Pat met Ed and became "Pat and Ed." She attended Depauw University for a year before joining Ed at Northern Illinois University where she earned her BS in Accounting and was an active member of Alpha Phi.
Pat began her career at Continental Bank in 1977 in cost and operations analysis. Pat worked full-time while earning her MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. While pregnant with Brendan, she was accepted into the bank's officer training program and progressed through various roles, including in the mining division, where she served as the Chicago liaison for the bank's Australian mining office. In the years that followed, Pat and Ed welcomed their daughters, Caitlin and Clare, before Pat stepped away from full-time work until her children were in school.
Pat returned to work at Continental Bank in the early 1990s before landing a position in distressed debt in 1994. After Continental Bank, she worked at Lehman Brothers before rejoining members of the former distressed debt team at Richie Capital and then Newberry Capital Management. In 2009, Pat and her group joined Neuberger Berman, where she was a Senior Vice President and trader, sitting on the high-yield trading desk, a rare role for a woman. Pat loved all aspects of her work, and her colleagues loved working with her.
In addition to taking great pride in her work, she was also devoted to her family and friends. Pat and Ed shared a 54-year partnership and were married in 1978. Together, they raised Brendan, Caitlin, and Clare in Western Springs. Her children benefited from seeing their mom balance motherhood with her passions and interests, including work, travel and time with friends. The Maxwells enjoyed life in Western Springs, where nightly family dinners were filled with great food and healthy debate. Summers on Lake Michigan and Lake Geneva were the settings for many happy memories for the Maxwells, and it was a true joy for Pat and Ed to return to the lake in Ogden Dunes in 2017.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in early 2019, Pat was placed under the exceptional care of Dr. Ernst Lengyel at the University of Chicago. Dr. Lengyel was her "guardian angel". Pat credited him with extending her life and giving her precious time with her friends and family, including the joy of knowing her grandchildren.
Pat retired in 2021. In retirement, she redirected her work ethic and energy into the Ogden Dunes community, becoming active in the Women's Club and serving on the Beautification Committee. She helped organize OD's annual Fourth of July sandcastle competition, bashes, and fundraisers to beautify the town and support local causes. She travelled extensively and had a very active social calendar in between chemo treatments for over six years, never letting her cancer diagnosis get in the way of her plans.
Pat was sought out as a trusted advisor and confidant by many; people naturally relied on her for guidance and support. She had a gift for giving direct, honest advice that came from a place of love. You knew that Pat was always in your corner. If you told her a secret before she passed away, rest assured, it is safe forever.
Pat maintained close friendships from every chapter in her life: Grand Beach, cousins, grade school and high school classmates, college friends and sorority sisters, colleagues from throughout her career, friends from the western suburbs and the Service Club of Chicago, and the warm community of neighbors and friends in Ogden Dunes who brought such joy to her final years. She loved her siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews deeply and was always the connective tissue that kept people together.
Pat had a strong internal compass. She knew what she liked and didn't like, and had an innate comfort and quiet confidence in her own skin. Pat will be remembered for her style, intelligence, courage, competitive spirit, love of wine, and Campari and soda. She was always on time, and always stayed late, much to Ed's chagrin. She loved watching and discussing movies, tv shows and books. She loved the beach and was a professional seaglass finder. She never met a sunset she didn't love. But mostly, she loved her people. Pat's family and friends brought her joy, humor, and purpose. She was always so humbled and grateful for the way people showed up for her throughout her life, particularly over the last seven years. She would constantly say "What did I do to deserve this?" in her typical understated manner. Of course, we all know, she did so much for others. We will miss her every day.
Pat faced every challenge directly and never wavered in her vision for the life she wanted to live, despite her diagnosis. Through her relationship with Dr. Lengyel as both patient and friend, she developed deep trust in his work. Pat and Ed chose to endow research at his ovarian cancer lab at the University of Chicago. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Pat's memory to the Maxwell Family Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at the University of Chicago Medicine. Checks may be made payable to the "University of Chicago Medicine" and sent to the following address: University of Chicago Gift Administration and Business Data, Patricia Maxwell Memorial, 5235 S. Harper Court, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60615.
Pat is survived by her husband, Ed Maxwell; her children, Brendan (Amanda) Maxwell, Caitlin Maxwell, and Clare (Charlie Lambropoulos) Maxwell; her grandchildren, Declan Maxwell, Scarlett and Archie Lambwell; her siblings, Therese (Ray) Carlson, Paul (Maureen) Reimann, Matt (Jocelyn) Reimann, Arch Reimann, Jean (Ron) Carter, and Peter (Amy) Reimann; many cherished cousins, nieces and nephews; and countless friends whose lives she touched. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marge and Arch Reimann.
A celebration of Pat's life will be held on January 24, 2026, at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 700 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL. Visitation will begin at 11:00 am, followed by the funeral mass at 12:00 pm. All are invited to a luncheon immediately following the service at The University Club of Chicago, 76 E Monroe Street.
Arrangements are being handled by Sullivan Funeral Home Hinsdale, who can be reached at 630-323-0275 or www.sullivanfuneralhomehinsdale.com.