Maxine Whitaker Elliott's Obituary
Maxine Whitaker Elliott, long time resident of West Monroe, passed away in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on December 25, 2020, due to natural causes. Born on April 15, 1929, she was 91 years old. Maxine graduated from Ouachita High School, obtained her BA in elementary education from Louisiana Tech, and her MA in education from Northeast Louisiana University. She was a lifelong Methodist, having been born into First Methodist Church in West Monroe, and attended Southside United Methodist Church for two decades, before returning to First United Methodist Church. Maxine had a truly beautiful voice and was an active choir member at both churches.
Maxine loved teaching fifth grade at Claiborne Elementary in West Monroe from the year it first opened until she retired in 1980. She and her husband Charles made sure their children were warm, safe and secure throughout their childhood years, teaching them many valuable lessons along the way, such as “think for yourself” and “don’t follow the crowd if it’s not the right thing to do.” When Charles died in 1998, Maxine began spending more time with her children and grandchildren, as well as traveling on bus tours throughout the US.
Survivors include her daughter Pamela Elliott and son Charles Elliott, Jr., 5 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.
Because of the pandemic, the memorial service will be delayed until family and friends can gather safely to celebrate her remarkable life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Feeding America at https://www.feedingamerica.org or to the choir at First United Methodist Church of West Monroe at https://www.fumcwm.org.
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