Maxine A. Greely passed away peacefully at the age of 81, surrounded by her husband Vince and many of her family, on Friday, September 6, 2019.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of the late Maximillian and Susan (nee Funk) Schmidt, and sister of the late Barbara Wrightson; her early years included many adventures in her parents’ corner store. As a young person, she made life-long friends and graduated first in her class from Little Flower High School for Girls, then worked as a legal secretary at Dechert LLP.
Maxine married Vincent J. Greely in 1960, marking the start of a loving partnership that lasted almost 59 years. Their early years in the Lawndale section of Northeast Philadelphia were the beginning of family life, with the births of five children and a true neighborhood community filled with backyard water fights, Christmas caroling, and the knowledge that somebody’s mother was always looking out for you.
When seven people became too much for one row home to hold, the Greelys moved to Lansdale, where Maxine spent the next 47 years. There they joined St. Stanislaus Church, where she served as a lector for many years, and later Maxine became the school secretary at St. Stanislaus (now Mater Dei) Catholic School; she poured untold hours of loving and faithful service into the St. Stanislaus community, which held a very special place in her heart.
For the last seven years, Maxine and Vince lived at Brittany Pointe Estates where she served as secretary of the Brittany Pointe Estates Residents Association.
Maxine’s real joys in life were family, friendship, faith–and of course her Phillies–and her happiest moments were gathered around a holiday table or at the Jersey shore, with Vince, their five kids, and sixteen grandchildren creating a happy mayhem. The grandchildren always knew that they could count on Grandmom to play any game with them, and she provided stiff competition, knowing that letting them win every round doesn’t build character! She made community wherever she went, offering friendship, support, and a mean pinochle game to all those whose lives she touched.
Through her last three decades, she met the struggle of life with multiple sclerosis with grace and dignity. In her final years, as her mobility became limited, this independent woman graciously accepted the growing support she needed, and always had a kind word (and candy she won at bingo) for her aides and nurses at Brittany Pointe.
Maxine is survived by her husband Vincent, children Kathleen Greely, Theresa McLaughlin (Michael), Eileen Maus (Michael), Marianne Ellis (Douglas), and David Greely (Jennifer), and sixteen grandchildren, all of whom held a special place in her heart: Sarah and Hannah Maniates, M.J., Colleen, Max and Billy McLaughlin, Michael, Alexis and Jamie Maus, Katherine, Sam, Jeremy and Megan Ellis, and Xavier, Nathaniel and Maeve Greely. Her sister’s children and grandchildren were also a treasured part of her family life.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her Funeral Mass on Friday, September 13, 2019 at 11 AM at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, 51 Lansdale Ave, Lansdale, where the family will receive friends from 9:30 to 10:45 in Church prior to Mass. Interment will be in Saint John Neumann Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Maxine’s name to Mater Dei Catholic School athttps://www.materdeicatholic.com/givingor Little Flower High School for Girls at https://littleflowerhighschool.org/apps/pages/WaystoGive. The family asks her friends to share their memories of Maxine, at the luncheon to be held after her funeral, or in writing.