| Notes |
- Guy Maxwell "Max" was born in a log cabin on the "Kidd Farm" on County Line Road south of Onaway. The family would spend summers on the farm, and winters in town, where his father was a butcher.
As told to Judy, his daughter (2000)
"When Max was young the family spent the summer on a farm "Kidd Farm". It was 120 acres, three quarters. To the left of the house was a low area with trees, to the right, fields. Max remembers a farm hand cutting a large pile of seed potatoes. They planted them and the harvest was mounds of potatoes in rows in the fields, machine harvested. The threshing machine was steam operated, with the engine 50 - 70 feet from the pile to be threshed. They checked the wind direction. They threshed 2 farms in a day. The machine went down the road at 2 - 3 miles per hour. A long belt with one twist operated the threshing part (where they put in sheaves of grain).
Guy bought a store in town. There was a store in front, living in the back, and rented rooms upstairs. He got into cars very early.
Guy tried to get Max into the car business. Max didn't like it. He always had his own agenda, and the Illsley boys input. They shared interests. Guy gave Max several cars to sell to get him started. He didn't do well, not that interested. Chuck was good at it and quit high school to sell".
In 1926 the family left Onaway and moved to Muskegon, where other members of the family had moved. The economy in Onaway declined after the American Wood Rim Co. burned in 1926. They only stayed in Muskegon for a couple of months, before leaving for Florida. They only got as far as Georgia, living in Albany and Thomasville, where his father found work. His brother Chuck remembers (2000), " When living in Georgia, Max worked for Woodhall, a sign painter. He earned $10.00 and wanted to buy a sweet roll. His mother made him get a soup bone."
In 1929 they returned to Muskegon, mostly because they were homesick for family.
He graduated from Muskegon High School in 1933(1935).
In 193? he entered Michigan State University in Lansing. He roomed with Walter Illsley,
On August 5, 1939 he married Margaret Louise Hoerle.
(Email from Margaret, May, 2002.
Max and I were married at Marny's home, 20 East Muskegon Avenue. We had his family and my family in attendance. Dr. Sam Oliver was the minister. After the wedding Marny had a caterer serve a luncheon to the people attending the wedding.)
In 1946 he was a Project Engineer for Continental Motors. He was promoted to Qualtiy Control to because he was trying to organize the department, and this would stop his organizing activities. Two or three weeks later he quit to go to China, working for UNRRA
He died of large cell lymphoma. He entered the hospital on March 11, 2004 after a vacation of 6 weeks in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. He died on April 4, 2004. His body was donated to Michigan State University, Anatomy Department. The family held a memorial service at McGraft Church on July 11, 2004. His ashes were returned and interred in Lakeside Cemetery in the plot with his mother-in-law, Margaret Dennis. A graveside service was held on August 7, 2006, with just his family, including brothers and sister in attendance.
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1915 - 2004 (88 years)
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