Gaylord Casper “Max” Maxson, 95, of Pine Island, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at the Pine Haven Care Center. He was born in Kasson, MN on March 5, 1928, to Casper and Lillian (Davidson) Maxson. His mother passed away when he was two years of age, and Max was raised by various family members. He attended grade school in Kasson, high school in Mantorville, and graduated from Wanamingo High School in 1947. After high school, he went to California with his best friend, Charlie Glarner, while in California he was working and attending Glendale Junior College. He was drafted in November of 1950 into the United States Army and served in the Korean Conflict. After he was honorably discharged in 1952, he came back to Kasson and worked in construction in Rochester. During this time, he met his future wife, Dorothy Holtorf. In the Fall of 1954 he attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis where he trained as an electrician. On June 18th 1955 he and Dorothy were united in marriage at her parents' home in Kasson. Following his graduation from Dunwoody in 1955, he was hired by IBM in Rochester as a Customer Engineer. IBM sent Max to Poughkeepsie, NY where he studied computer operations and repair. While there, he and Dorothy welcomed their first son, Scott, into the world. At the completion of his training, he and Dorothy returned to Minneapolis for a short time before being assigned to Milwaukee, WI. The couple made their home in Waukesha, WI. This is where Max and Dorothy welcomed their 2 other sons, Mark and Eric, into the world. After eight years in Waukesha, Max was reassigned back to Minneapolis. The family then lived in White Bear and Hastings. In 1970 Max was again reassigned, this time to Rochester, MN. Max and his family were finally back home. He bought their farm in Pine Island in 1971. Max continued to work for IBM in Rochester until he retired in 1987 after 33 years of service. Max thoroughly enjoyed his retirement doing what he loved and where he felt the most at home, on the farm. He and Dorothy enjoyed going to many farm auctions over the years, where they could be found in the front row. Joining in 1955, Max was a lifetime member of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota AF and AM at Kasson/Mantorville lodge number 11. He was also a lifetime member of the Scottish Rite Society, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the Order of the Eastern Star of Rochester, the Osman Shrine, the Rochester Area Shrine Club, and the Rochester Merry Medics. After retirement Max was very active with the Masonic Lodge where he held various positions and was ultimately bestowed with membership to the 33rd Degree of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite. He and Dorothy were members of the Order of the Eastern Star Grand Family of Minnesota and enjoyed traveling thru out Minnesota and parts of Canada performing Masonic and Order of the Eastern Star ceremonies. Max performed in many parades all over southeastern Minnesota as a clown with the Rochester Merry Medics. He was a lifetime member of the Mantorville VFW Post 4555 and the Charles C. Cowden American Legion Post 184 in Pine Island.
He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Dorothy Maxson of Pine Island; three sons, Scott (Patty) Maxson of Pine Island, Mark (Gwen) Maxson of Mantorville, and Eric (Diane) Maxson of Pine Island; five grandchildren, Trista Schrage of East Grand Forks, ND, Darren Maxson of Kasson, Ashley (Zeb) Schutz of Pine Island, Gunner Maxson of Pine Island, and Maia Maxson of Pine Island; and six great-grandchildren, Elijah, Lydia and Levi Schrage and Talon, Jaxon, and Lawson Schutz.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Casper and Lillian, and his brother, Chester (LuAnn) Maxson.
A celebration of life service for Max will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at the Charles C. Cowden American Legion Post 184 in Pine Island. Visitation will be for one hour prior. Arrangements by the Mahn Family Funeral Home, Mahler Chapel.
