Obituary of James Reed Maxwell

Obituary for James Reed Maxwell

James Reed Maxwell ,  73 , of Winter Haven , Florida  passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on Friday, August 27,2021 from pancreatic cancer.  Jim was born on January 20, 1948 to James E. Maxwell and Harriett Holcomb Maxwell in Sacramento, California.  Born into a military family, Jim and his younger brother Larry, moved every few years.  Jim was an avid outdoorsman and loved fishing, running, and biking.  He competed in many races(including multiple marathons), triathlons (including an iron-man), and also bodybuilding.  He treasured many things such as critical thinking, fast cars, strong coffee, hot food, and an organized dishwasher.  He received his Bachelors at the University of New Hampshire, and went on to receive his Masters in Philosophy at Rutgers University.  He then decided to switch careers, and took night classes at the University of Massachusetts while also teaching history and math at Stoneleigh-Burnham, a private boarding school.  Jim received his PsyD in School Psychology at the University of Toronto.

James worked at The Vanguard School in Lake Wales, FL for 10 years as a school psychologist.  During this time, he took pre-requisites for administration at the University of South Florida.  He later moved up to supervision and administration for the Polk County School District and eventually serving as Director of Student Services, a position he retired from in 2020 after bringing in millions of dollars in grant funding to better serve the students of Polk County.  In 1987 he married the love of his life, Lynn Maxwell.  They were married for 34 wonderful years. He is survived by his wife and 3 children, Reed Maxwell, Princeton, NJ, Tyler Maxwell, Orlando, FL, and Zoe Maxwell, Honolulu, HI; and 2 grandchildren, Cole Maxwell and Wyatt Maxwell.  He impacted many lives working for the school system.  He will be deeply missed by all that knew him and loved him.  The family would like to thank Good Shepherd Hospice for their compassionate care, allowing Jim to live his last few months as fully and comfortably as possible.  The family would also like to invite you to join them for a memorial service to celebrate his life on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 2:00PM at Kersey Funeral Home in Auburndale, FL.  The family will be receiving friends at 1:00PM.  The family kindly request that all guests wear mask at the service.  Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kerseyfuneralhome.com

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