Ella Maxine (Polley) Williams was born on October 5, 1922 to Alva Jerald and Naomi Rose (McElhiney) Polley in Ridgeway. She was the oldest of three children. Maxine grew up on the farm south of Ridgeway. She graduated from Ridgeway High School in 1940. She joined Kirkley Chapel Church as a young girl and attended until her health failed. In 1942 she went on to Cosmetology School in St. Joseph, to become a licensed beautician. She began her business as a beauty operator in Eagleville. Eventually, she moved her business to the Ridgeway Hotel in Ridgeway, where she was living at the time. She married Olin Dean Williams on May 1, 1946. After living in the Ridgeway hotel for a few months they bought and moved to the Williams Family Farm on the edge of Ridgeway, 1946. They moved to the town of Ridgeway in 1990. She remained there until entering Lamoni Assisted Living in 2018. From this union were born two daughters, Rita Kay Tuggle and Rebecca Jane Harding. Maxine and Dean farmed until 1970 when they placed their farm in CRP. Maxine and Dean was a devoted couple for over 65 years.
Maxine’s Beauty Shop was established at the family farm in 1946. She cared for all her clients and loved hearing about their families. She was proud when her niece Sue Buis graduated from Cosmetology School and began working alongside with her. In later years, Sue and Maxine moved their shop to the town of Ridgeway as it was known as Town and Country. Town for Sue and Country for Maxine. After 42 years as a beauty operator, Maxine threw in her comb and scissors and decided to retire.
Outside of working as a beauty operator, she enjoyed working alongside her husband, Dean, gardening. They had an exceptionally large garden which produced lots of vegetables for canning and sharing with the community. They also had an enormous strawberry patch. Generations of family members have enjoyed working and spending quality time in the garden and canning all the produce. As the daughters grew older she became very involved with 4-H, as a supportive parent and leader. She also helped the 4-H extension service by judging and setting up at county fairs. Maxine also enjoyed supporting and watching her daughters who were very active in sports and later enjoyed watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren participate in school activities. Maxine and Dean were avid bowlers for many years and loved competing in tournaments to raise money for the Lion’s Club. They loved square dancing and helped host many dances at the field house and Lion’s Hall. Every year she would help at the Ridgeway fair to raise money, work at the eat shack, and offering her children to work also. Throughout the years she also devoted a lot of her time on the Ridgeway alumni committee planning the program and dinner, contacting alumni, and setting everything up for the five year reunions. She was a member of the PEO Chapter CQ for over 50 years. She often enjoyed formally dressing up to attend meetings and have tea. She believed in their commitment in furthering women’s education after high school.
Maxine enjoyed their involvement in Lion’s Club with 26F Lion’s District where Dean was the Governor. During this period they often made wine to take to their meetings. Once it wasn’t quite ready so they left it fermenting in the beauty shop and it exploded while they were gone, spraying grape wine all over the shop and dining room.
In 1970 Maxine flew to Japan to visit Bob and Rita. Later in 1974 they flew to Germany. Dean had his suitcase packed first because he wasn’t going to miss out on all the fun. In 1980 they went to Canada for a Lion’s Club convention. After retiring Dean and Maxine traveled to Hawaii and Florida to see Rita, Bob and kids, California to visit mom’s first cousin and many other small trips. They enjoyed traveling together
Maxine was truly a dedicated lady and loved her family, friends, and community. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. She leaves behind daughters, Rita (Bob) Tuggle, Bethany, Becky (Everett) Harding, Ridgeway; grandchildren, Anthony (Lisa) Tuggle, Glen Allen, Virginia, Rhonda (Wes) Booth, Bethany, Janie Harding, Tim (Sheila) Harding, and Tom (Karen) Harding all of Ridgeway; 11 great grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews and a multitude of friends. Besides her parents: Alva Jerold and Naomi Rose (McElhiney) Polley, she was preceded in death by her husband, Dean Williams; grandson, Jeff Tuggle; brother, Rodney Polley, sister, Lucille Warner and best friend and partner in crime, Nilene Floyd.
Funeral services were held December 20, 2019 at Kirkley Chapel Church, with burial in Kirkley Chapel Cemetery, Ridgeway. Tributes may be left at www.bethanymemorialchapel.com
In lieu of flowers the family suggest donations to the Kirkley Chapel Cemetery.