Cemetery Photo

Maxine (Bennett) Osborn Schroeder was born to Charles M. Bennett and Dorothy (Hess) Bennett on December 13, 1923, at Stilwell, Oklahoma, and departed this life on June 30, 2014, at the Stilwell Nursing Home in Stilwell.

Because Mr. Bennett was a telegraph operator/agent on the KCS, Maxine attended several schools in towns connected with the railroad. She graduated from high school at Gentry, Arkansas, in May of 1941. She met Doyal Osborn in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, who told his folks on their first date, “I met the girl I’m going to marry.” They did just that in December of 1941. From this union three children were born: JD Osborn, Jr., Beverly Osborn, and Larry Osborn. In October of 1942, Doyal was called into active duty where he served overseas in Ireland and Germany, and was a part of the invasion at Normandy Beach. Maxine began working as the first female paid to train as a telegraph operator for the KCS Railroad. She always loved to tap out Morse code with her fingers even if she wasn’t using the “bug”.

When Doyal returned home from the Army, they moved to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, where they owned a store/station and later moved to Stilwell where they owned and operated Osborn Laundry for 17 years. They were saved and baptized in the First Baptist Church of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, in 1954.

Following Doyal’s death, Maxine met Bill Schroeder, a Globe Life representative, and they were married in November of 1962. She operated Maxine’s Fabrics and Ceramics. Upon her retirement, she worked five years with the Adair County Foster Grandparent program with the Stilwell Public School System. At the time of her death, she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Stilwell. Health issues plagued her for the past eight years of her life, suffering with dementia and macular-degeneration. One of her favorite things was to come to the Stilwell Livestock Auction and be with her family.

Maxine was preceded in death by both of her husbands, John Doyal Osborn and Bill Schroeder; parents and step-mother CM Bennett, Dorothy Bennett, and Dorothy (Bigby) Bennett; her two sons JD Osborn and Larry Osborn; her two brothers Milton Bennett and Monroe Bennett, and a sister Mildred Chambers.

She is survived by her daughter Beverly Patterson and husband Bill; three granddaughters Susan Bradley and husband Tony; Julie Stewart and husband Tim; Elizabeth Isaacs and husband Danny; nine great-grandchildren Aaron Patterson, Rachael Patterson, Haley Stewart, Jordan Stewart, Josh Stewart, Lauren Isaacs, Ashley Isaacs, Luke Isaacs and Ryan Isaacs; and a host of nephews and nieces.

Funeral services were held at 2 pm on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at Roberts/Reed-Culver Chapel with Pastor John Lee of the Park Hill Baptist Church officiating. Interment followed at Stilwell City Cemetery.

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