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Maxine M. Bender, 95, of Blair died on Friday February 26, 2016 at Golden Living in Tekamah. Funeral service will be Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at First United Methodist Church at 10:30 AM with visitation one hour prior to service.

Maxine was born on April 21, 1920 to Vernon and Louise Marshall in Arlington. She attended Arlington High School where she graduated with honors. She then attended two years of college at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln before finishing her nursing degree at the College of Medicine in Omaha. Maxine was employed as an RN in the University Hospital for a short while before going to San Francisco and working at Stanford Jayne Hospital. She married Bryce Gilbert Smith on May 8, 1943 at the St. John’s Presbyterian church in San Francisco. The two lived on the base at Hamilton Field near San Raphael where Bryce served in the Army Air Corp. Maxine found work at a small hospital working with new born babies. Following World War II the couple moved back to Nebraska to start their family consisting of daughter Leslie, son Victor and son Tyler. Husband Bryce passed in July of 1978. Maxine continued to work another 18 years at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the new born intensive care unit. While living in BV Maxine met and married Herbert Bender on January 4, 1986 at First United Methodist church. The two remained in BV until Herbert’s passing in July of 1998. Maxine was active in the Bella Vista First United Methodist Church, was a member of the choir and hand bell choir and also the Bella Vista women’s choir.

Maxine was preceded in death by her parents, brother Lloyd, sister Vee Louise Clayton, daughter Leslie Louise Smith Rogers, son Victor Daniel Smith, husbands Bryce Smith and Herbert Bender.

She is survived by son Tyler Marshall Smith, three grandchildren: Monica Hirchert and husband Tim of Fort Calhoun, Sarah Medlin and husband Michael of Merced, CA, Troy and Fiancé Sara Smith of Emerson, IA; 11 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements by Campbell Aman Funeral Home.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~