Maxine Marie Gagnon
Aug. 28, 1928 - March 13, 2025
Maxine Gagnon
Maxine Marie (LaFave) Gagnon, 96, passed away March 13, 2025, in Alpena following a brief illness. Maxine was born in North Platte, NE on Aug. 28, 1928, to Clifford LaFave and Bettina Judkins. Maxine met her husband Dallas at a potluck social in Alpena. Dallas and Maxine married on Jan. 26, 1948 at St. Anne Catholic Church. Soon after marriage they started a family and raised ten children together. When her youngest daughter was six years old Maxine went back to school, enrolling at Alpena Community College to become a nurse. After graduation she worked at Alpena General Hospital for 24 years until her retirement.
Maxine was survived by her sons Steven (Cindy), Kevin (who passed on May 7, 2025), daughters Nancy Belanger, Mary Kay Fitzgerald and Yvonne Moran (Christopher). Half-sisters Ruthann Schultz and Mary McDonald, 19 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Dallas, sons David, Michael, Jon, Lee and Phillip, granddaughter Jamie Lee Moran, son-in-law Michael Belanger, sister Laura Brow and half-sister Phyllis Freel. Tragedy struck the family in 1938 when a fire struck taking the lives of her siblings, Frankie, Jean, and Joan as well as her grandmother, Gertrude Robinson.
Maxine enjoyed working on puzzles and sewing. She loved making special quilts for friends and family and was an avid reader – especially her murder mysteries. She had a heart for her community having been a long-time member of the Aid by the Dozen where she raised funds for charity all year long.
A celebration of her life will take place at 1 p.m. on June 6, 2025, at Holy Cross Cemetery followed by a luncheon at McRae Park. McWilliams Funeral Home has assisted the family. Online condolences can be made at www.mcwilliamsfh.com