Mary Gay Maxwell

Mary Gay Maxwell, 77, of Austin, TX, passed away on March 30, 2016. Mary Gay spent her life helping people. Whether through her psychology practice, her involvement in the City of Austin Environmental Board, Save Our Springs Alliance, the North University Neighborhood Association, or simply with friends and family, her aim in life was to help people have improved lives.

She was born September 13, 1938 in Brownsville, Texas to Gay More Maxwell and James Albert Maxwell. Because her father was a pilot for Pan American, her early years were spent in Pan Am hub cities such as Brownsville, Miami, New York and Houston. She graduated from Lamar High School in Houston and then enrolled at the University of Texas. While at UT, Mary Gay was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and earned a Bachelor's degree in Education. She then studied in Madrid for a year and received her Masters in Spanish through Middlebury College in Vermont. She returned to UT and earned her Ph.D in Psychology. Like many graduates of the University, she fell in love with Austin and lived there the rest of her life.

Because she wanted to retain the unique characteristics of Austin and help maintain its natural beauty, Mary Gay involved herself in several organizations and served in leadership roles in each group. Among these are the Save Our Springs Alliance board, the North University Neighborhood Association, and the Austin Environmental Board. She has been the Chair of the Environmental Board for the last 8 years.

There are many articles on the web about her. http://austineconetwork.com/mary-gay-maxwell-an-unforgettable-environmental-advocate/; http://www.sosalliance.org/latest-news/897-austin-loses-environmental-leader-dr-mary-gay-maxwell.html;

Mary Gay was preceded in death by her parents, James Albert Maxwell and Gay More Maxwell, and her brother-in-law, Norwick (Bobo) O. Adams, Jr.

She is survived by her sister, Jane Maxwell Adams of Sugar Land, Texas; nieces, Lisa Adams Whiting of Richmond, Texas and husband, Tracy; Gay Adams O'Neal of Choudrant, Louisiana and husband, Tom; nephew, Norwick (Wick) O. Adams, III of Guadalajara, Mexico and wife, Alba; 10 great nieces and one great nephew; 10 (with another on the way!) great great nieces and nephews; and numerous friends she considered her family.

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Saturday, April 9, at 10:30 am in the Historic Church at St. David's Episcopal Church 301 East 8th St. with Rev. Paul Wehner officiating in Austin.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to Save Our Springs Alliance at sosalliance.org.