Maxine T. Fowler

Maxine Fowler was a wonderful Christian wife, mother and grandmother. She was loved by everyone and could best be described as quietly elegant and full of love toward others. She was born in Gordon, Nebraska on September 16, 1938, the daughter of Katy Hart Thomson and Jasper MacDonald Thomson, while her father was working in South Dakota for the U.S. Indian Service. The family moved to San Angelo, Texas when Maxine was five. Her mother was a math teacher at San Angelo High School and her father worked for the Veterans Administration. Maxine was active in school activities and won the UIL state typing competition. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and stayed at the Scottish Rite Dormitory. She was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with highest honors.

Just prior to the beginning of classes her senior year, she met her future husband, David, on a blind date. They both graduated at the same time, and David enrolled in graduate school in engineering at UT and Maxine worked for the Clark, Thomas, Harris, Denius, and Winters Law Firm as a legal secretary. They were married March 31, 1961. Their first child, Teresa, was born in July of 1962 just before David completed his Master’s degree, but Maxine managed to type his thesis on a portable typewriter. That fall they moved to Boulder, Colorado where David began working on his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado. Maxine began typing for law students and attorneys using her legal secretarial skills and soon had a thriving in-home business. When they left Boulder, one of the attorneys she typed for said, “If you weren’t married I would marry you so you wouldn’t leave.”

They returned to Austin in the fall of 1964, and David began teaching at UT in what is now the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. In 1965, their second daughter, Leah, was born. Maxine began typing for UT law students and attorneys and really enjoyed the interaction with them. In 1982, word processors came on the market, and the need for her services rapidly diminished since students could do their own typing. She volunteered at Marywood Adoption Services, a local nonprofit agency as a foster mother. She picked up the newborns at the hospital and kept them for a few weeks until the adoption process was finalized. It was always very difficult for her to see the babies go since she had become so attached to them. Jan Clark, another foster mother, became one of her best friends. Over a 14-year period, she fostered 84 babies. Eventually the need for adoption services diminished, and she volunteered at the Seton Neonatal unit to hold and care for babies in the hospital. She really loved babies. If a mother came in a restaurant with an infant, Maxine had to resist the temptation to ask the mother if she could hold it while she ate.

She volunteered as a counselor at the Crisis Pregnancy for several years and enjoyed the opportunity to counsel and assist many young women. She was really moved when they would contact her later and tell her how much they appreciated her advice and support.

Maxine loved to travel and do photography. She accompanied David on many of his trips in the U.S. and nearly all of his international trips. They visited nearly every continent and about 35 countries. They loved the UK and traveled many miles in rent cars on their many trips there. Some of her favorite places besides the UK were Switzerland, Italy, Israel, New Zealand and South Africa. In 1988, David was invited to Johannesburg to speak at a conference. Maxine was at first hesitant to go, but after going, South Africa became her favorite country. She accompanied him on at least ten trips there, sometimes with Teresa and some of her children and husband. They would nearly always go to Kruger National Park where they loved to photograph the animals. Maxine took most of the photos and, after returning home, prepared Shutter Fly albums of her photos. They made many lifelong friends on their travels. She also enjoyed spending time at their condominium in Port Aransas, and she and Leah had a great time decorating it. She loved to shop. David used tell her that if there was an All American team of shoppers, she would be first team. She loved jewelry and rarely went into a store without buying something. She loved to collect dolls; her favorite was a doll in the likeness of Sisi, Princess Elisabeth of Austria that she found in a doll shop in Salzburg. She loved to read and had hundreds of books on her Kindle. She also enjoyed crocheting and loved to make baby blankets, bedspreads, baby socks, and other gifts for family and friends.

She loved to have her daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren all together on holidays and birthdays. When they went to Maine to visit Teresa and family, she and Teresa (and Leah if she was there) would take the granddaughters on a ladies-only outing to a B&B. When Teresa brought her family to Austin, they usually managed to do the same. Leah and Maxine would spend several days at the Houston Galleria once or twice a year to shop and attend plays and musicals. At the end of the day, Maxine would call David and begin the call with, “I saved you a lot of money today at all the sales.”

Maxine was a member of the Wells Branch Church of Christ and loved her church family. She taught a home Bible study for some of the women and sometimes took them to the condominium for the studies.

Maxine passed from this life on July 10 after surgery followed by complications. Maxine was preceded in death by her sister, Bernadine, her parents J.M. and Katy Thomson, and her grandson Nolan. She leaves a host of wonderful friends and family. She is survived by her husband David; daughters Teresa Price (husband David) and Leah Read (husband Bryson); grandsons Logan and Cory Price and Lincoln Read; granddaughters Brielle Read and Katy Price; brother-in-law Lindley Fowler (wife Elaine); and sisters-in-law Lisa McLaughlin (husband Kevin) and Rebecca Robinson and many cousins. The family wishes to thank all of the wonderful caregivers who assisted Maxine, including Yvonne Chapa and Joann Arvivu.

Visitation will be 6:00pm to 8:00pm pm on Friday, July 16th, at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar Blvd. Funeral services will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, July 17th in the chapel with Mr. Paul Collin officiating. Interment will be private.

Pallbearers will be Logan Price, David Price, Lincoln Read, Bryson Read, Caleb Fowler and Luke Fowler.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the David and Maxine Fowler Endowed Excellence Fund at UT established in their honor by Dr. Jim Wiethorn that provides scholarships for students. Checks should be made payable to the University of Texas at Austin and sent to: The University of Texas at Austin, Engineering Foundation, 301 E. Dean Keeton St., C2104, Austin, TX 78712-0287. Note on the check that it is for the Fowler Endowment.