Maxey, William B. William B. Maxey (1942-2017) of Paradise Valley, Arizona, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on May 20th after a courageous battle with cancer. 'Maxey,' as he was often called, was born on April 7, 1942 in Lufkin, Texas and was the oldest child of Edwin and Irene Maxey. He married his high school sweetheart, Diane Meadows Maxey, in 1964, and they were happily married for 48 years before her passing in 2012. He and Diane grew up in a simple world of going to football games on Friday nights, soda fountain date nights at Read's, and cruising main street in your car with your favorite girl beside you. Together, Maxey and Diane had two children, Dana Maxey O'Leary and Robert Maxey. Dana is married and lives in New York City with her husband, Bill, and son, John-Paul. Robert lives on his sailboat on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and has two daughters, Gabrielle and Zoe Teter.Other surviving relatives include his brother, Kenneth Maxey. Kenneth and his family still reside in the Lufkin area along with several counties full of Maxey nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. After wife Diane's passing in 2012, Max still had more love to give, and continued sharing life's joys with his adoring companion Trish Mayberry of Paradise Valley. She and her family, Mike Mayberry and Kim Polak and their children, Tyler and Cahill of Denver, Colorado; and Karrin and Brian Taylor and their children, Bennett and Kate, of Scottsdale, welcomed 'Max' into their lives and their love, and provided a fresh new audience for his well-told stories full of southern intrigue, hunting, fishing, fast cars, and faster airplanes. It was Maxey's life-long love affair with airplanes which originally brought him to the Phoenix area and the aerospace division of Honeywell (formerly Garrett AiResearch) where he enjoyed a 24 year career. As an accomplished engineer with a B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Texas, there was almost nothing that Maxey could not build or repair. He was nearing completion of an experimental airplane in his home shop prior to his illness. He also owned a Cessna 182 and spent 30 years behind those controls ferrying his family and friends around the country on limitless adventures. His life's adventures included extensive travel for business in Europe, South America, India, and the Far East. Family exploration expanded his personal map to Alaska, Australia, and Africa. His nearer exploits included snow skiing - he preferred the western US; camping - he preferred the mountains (any place with either a beautiful view or a fishing stream); and hunting – anything, anywhere, anytime – and, he ate it all (because he was a Texan … and, BBQ sauce helps everthang taste bet'a). Maxey was proud of his Texas heritage and epitomized a true southern gentleman. He was well-known for having the perfect pair of cowboy boots for every occasion. He was all about church on Sundays, biscuits & gravy, and John Wayne. He was a man who long ago took a sacred oath to live a life of Christian principle, purpose, and perseverance. Today there is a father, friend, companion whose body has been taken, but whose heart is near. Whether you knew him as William, Maxey, Bill, Max, Dad, brother, Coach, or friend, please join together in celebrating his life at a memorial service to be held on Saturday, June 3rd, 10:00 am, at the First Baptist Church of Scottsdale, 5230 North Scottsdale Road, in Scottsdale, Arizona 85253.