Livingston County is mourning the death of Katrina Maxwell of Marion Township, a long-time community volunteer and friend who died Nov. 26 at the age of 62.
Maxwell was well-known throughout her life for her dedication to those in need. From caring for her neighbor with spina bifida when she was just 13, to bringing to life the popular LETS Stuff the Bus holiday program, Maxwell lived to serve others.
Maxwell said in a story in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus that she had always had a “knack to understand people with special needs,” calling it a “gift from God.”
A longtime member of the Howell Jaycees, Maxwell was its president in 1996 when it was named the top Jaycee chapter in Michigan. She was a Special Olympics golf coach, and she created the LETS Stuff the Bus holiday, which parked a LETS vehicle outside the WalMart Supercenter in Genoa Township to collect donations during the holiday season.
In 2003, Maxwell received two huge community honors: She served as Grand Marshal of the Melon Fest Parade, and she was also honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council.
Diagnosed with stage 5 kidney failure in 2016, Maxwell retired from her longtime job at Livingston Essential Services, where she had become operations manager, and was put on the organ donation list.
“I had to retire and learn how to live life with kidney failure,” Maxwell said in a Facebook post. “Nausea, severe fatigue, anemia, memory loss-brain fog, confusion and trouble concentrating were now a part of my every day life!”
Two friends — Jeannette Freeland and Robin Cox — volunteered to participate in the Henry Ford Hospital Kidney Swap Program, in which each donated a kidney to an anonymous recipient so Maxwell could move up on the transplant list.
“You literally saved my life by participating in the Henry Ford Kidney Swap Program,” Maxwell wrote. “I was on the transplant list for years and they couldn’t find a match for me even though many tried to be a donor. If you … wouldn’t have offered to participate in the swap program, I would be on dialysis or worse.”
Maxwell received a kidney transplant in October 2020.
You can read Maxwell’s obituary by clicking here.
