Dorothy Maxwell

Dorothy Marie "Dottie" Maxwell, 91, of Indianapolis died peacefully December 26, 2011. She was born to the late Cecil H. and Marie (Terry) Goodpasture in Indianapolis on October 8, 1920. A graduate of Shortridge High School, Dottie attended UCLA, Herron School of Art and Design, and Butler University. She married Richard A. Maxwell on March 18, 1939. Dorothy is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Susan Marie and Richard L. Fairchild and her beloved grandchildren Mark B. Fairchild, Fitchburg, Wisconsin and Angela Marie Fairchild, Phoenix, Arizona. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard and her son Charles Stewart Maxwell II. Dottie was an active volunteer in many organizations including the Red Cross Motor Pool Corps and the Red Cross Outreach Art Education Program. She served as past Interim Director of the Society for the Prevention of Blindness, and volunteered many years screening school-age children for vision problems. She was a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and enjoyed arranging flowers for the Lilly House. Dottie was a member of the Children's Museum Guild for many years. She was an avid gardener and had memberships in the Neophyte and Trailing Arbutus Garden Clubs. She was a member of Highland Country Club and Meridian Hills Country Club. Dottie was an artist and studied with several prominent Indiana artists during the 1950s and 60s. She painted often with the Indianapolis Art League. Dottie enjoyed summertime in Pentwater, Michigan, and boating on the Ohio River. She was an active member of the Indiana Saddle Horse Association and was the consummate "horse show mom." In her early 20s, Dottie learned to fly an open-cockpit plane, passing her love of flying on to her son. Her interest in the arts and antiques led her to open the "Darn Barn Antiques" shop in the 1980s. She was most of all a devoted and caring wife, mother, and homemaker to her family and their friends. Several generations of her family and friends remember her as the hostess of countless skating, sledding, and swimming parties at their Traders Point Lake home. Dottie would say that she was most proud of her grandchildren, her legacy who inherited her reverence for all nature, an uncanny connection to animals, and the joy of gardening. A private memorial service celebrating Dottie's life will be held at Second Presbyterian Church, where she was a member since 1953. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center, P. O. Box 721, Zionsville, Indiana 46077, Second Presbyterian Church, 1100 N. Meridian, Indianapolis, IN 46260, or the Alzheimer's Association, 50 East 91st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240-1554 Dottie's family wishes to gratefully thank the staff of Hooverwood Nursing Home for their expert and loving care given to her during the past years. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan