Maxine Irish

Maxine Medora (Garton) Irish

August 23, 1929 – October 1, 2026

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Maxine Irish due to stroke and Alzheimers. Beloved wife of Jack Irish (1927 – 2020) and beloved mother of son Jim (Penny) Irish, and daughter Joan (Tom Felstead) Irish. Grandmother to Kristin (Craig) Skelton & Callie (Rob) Lecours. Great Grandmother to Logan, Gavin & Evelyn. Daughter of Clarence & Beatrice (Perry) Garton. Predeceased by siblings Johnny (11 mths), Marion (Don) Pettit, Perry (Pat, Helen) Garton, Ken (Marjorie, Wilma) Garton, Earl (Mary, Karen) Garton. Survived by siblings Mary May (Wayne) Charlton & Ted (Helen) Garton

Born and raised on the family farm (Hwy 74), the household included her grandparents Samuel & Mary Medora (Doan) Garton which helped to shape the importance of family and history. Maxine collected the family heirlooms, pictures and memorabilia of generations, attended family reunions and maintained many connections between various branches of the family.

Maxine first attended SS22 Mapleton school and later helped to document the history of the school. She worked in tobacco, then upon graduation from high school in Belmont she worked at London Life. Meeting Jack at a dance, they got married Oct 14, 1950 taking up residence on the Irish family farm (Hwy 73). To be closer to home when the kids were young, Maxine got a job with Imperial Tobacco in Aylmer. Always willing to learn and improve, Maxine later took a job with Northern Telecom in London. After many night courses she became a computer analyst until her retirement in Dec 1988. Later she was hired back under contract to help them implement GST, all while never owning a computer herself. After retirement, Maxine and Jack sold the farm and built a house in St. Thomas in 1994.

Growing up vacations often included travelling with or visiting family and friends. After retirement Mom & Dad enjoyed travelling farther afield to places in Europe, Australia, Greece, Egypt, Hawaii, bus trips to the states and of course Las Vegas. No matter what they encountered along the way, they generally found the humour in the situation that left us with a wealth of stories about their adventures.

Mom imparted to us the importance of money and good planning. She sweat the details, typically keeping track of things down to the penny. Always well-dressed, Mom also valued being independent and continuing to learn, whether it was line dancing, sudoku, or crossword puzzles. Her true strength however was connecting and caring about the people she met in life. Maxine was generous, compassionate and fun-loving with a wry sense of humour. She will truly be missed.

A celebration of Maxine’s life will be held at the H.A. Kebbel Funeral Home, Aylmer on Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior. Cremation-burial: Aylmer Cemetery. Donations to St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation or Mapleton Church of Christ would be appreciated. Share memories or condolences at kebbelfuneralhome.com