Betty Jane Maxwell

SOUTH PORTLAND – Betty Jane Maxwell, 87, passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2021, at Freeport Place in Freeport. Born on Jan. 13, 1934, in Willimantic, Conn., to Carl A. Sr. and Violet I. (Patt) Pettengill, Betty lived most of her life in South Portland. She worked at Fairchild Semiconductor (National) for 32 years, retiring in 1996.

During the first couple years of her retirement, she and her husband of 49 years, Guy W. Maxwell Jr., enjoyed motorcycle trips across several states and into Canada. After Guy’s death in 1998, Betty went back to work. She was a housekeeper at several hotels and worked in the food industry where she got her “dream” job in the resident café at Piper Shores. She loved cooking breakfast and serving coffee to the residents while listening to her favorite oldies on her “boombox”.

Betty loved to cook, enjoyed watching old movies and playing cards, especially pinochle and cribbage, going dancing and bowling. She was on several bowling leagues during her employment at Fairchild. In the last 20 years, she very much enjoyed going on cruises with her daughter, Betsy, and their many lunch dates and times spent at Kiwanis Beach where she loved to just sit in the sun. Betty was a spunky woman who spoke her mind, which caused some good-natured eye rolling, and her family couldn’t help but love her for it.

While a resident at Freeport Place, she met Read Dickinson, also a resident. From the moment they met, they were inseparable, spending almost every waking minute together until Read passed away in 2018.

Betty was predeceased by her parents, as well as her brothers, Carl, Bruce and Douglas, her sister, Ada, her husband, Guy Jr. and her three sons, Stephen, Guy III and Jeffrey Dennis.

She is survived by her daughters, Betsy Jane of South Portland, and Mary E. and her husband, Frank Reichert of Buxton, her son, Bruce and daughter-in-law Chris of South Attleboro, Mass., her daughter-in-law, Linda Maxwell and her husband, Dan Francis, as well as 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Betty’s family would like to thank the caregivers at Freeport Place where she was a resident since 2016. We would like to especially thank Jessie, Elaine and Emily for their kindness and attentive care during her time there. We are so grateful Jessie was there with her when she passed since Betty thought the world of her.

No services are scheduled at this time.

Arrangements entrusted to Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Freeport Place

4 Old County Road

Freeport, ME 04032


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