Florence Eileen Maxson

Florence Eileen Maxson, 90, (nee Kline) was the manager of Maxson's Paint Store for 40 years in Rochelle. She graduated from high school at age 16 and was encouraged by her teachers to attend college and study Latin at which she excelled. Instead, her shy nature kept her close to home in Sterling. There, she attended business school, learning shorthand which she could write almost until the day she died. Although she never went to college, she encouraged in her children a love of piano, reading, good food, horticulture and the natural world. She died peacefully of dementia and old age at Rochelle Gardens where she took up residence a year ago. She is survived by three children: Susan Anderson (Donald Metzger), of Chicago, a former anchor/reporter for WBBM-TV and now an executive communications/media consultant; Martha Maxson, of Wheeling, a retired high school teacher and now an academic tutor; and Joel Maxson (Karen), of Springfield, a retired manager for the State of Illinois and now an avid golfer and sportsman. She also leaves three grandchildren, Olivia Metzger, of New York City, Harrison Metzger, of West LaFayette, Ind., and Sarah Maxson, of Springfield. Her husband, Ernest Delos “Cracker” Maxson, a fifth generation Rochelle native, pre-deceased her by 10 years. “My mother was of an era,” remembers her daughter, Martha, “when women were never encouraged to live up to their potential. Although she would have liked nothing better than to have her three children live next door to her, she didn't stand in their way when they each chose to explore the wider world. In fact, she encouraged them - even though it made her uncomfortable.” “She was a good listener,” said her daughter, Susan. “She was also a good cook, housekeeper, accountant, bird-watcher, gardener and wallpaper hanger. One thing she loved was a big thunderstorm and she would wrap her arms around us as we watched the storm from our front porch.” “My mother and I made many picture frames together,” recalls Joel, who worked in the paint store with her and Cracker. “She was always precise and exacting.” Florence Maxson was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Rochelle for nearly 50 years. A church service will be held 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 14 with Rev. Dr. James A. Tilley officiating. A one hour visitation will be held prior to services. Burial will take place at Lawnridge Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Ogle County Hospice Association or the Presbyterian Church of Rochelle.