Maxalee Hess' Obituary
Jo Maxalee (Walden) Hess, age 95 of Edmond, Oklahoma passed away on Monday afternoon April 11, 2022. Maxalee was born on July 1, 1926 in Carroll County, Township of Beaver, Arkansas to the late Sidney and Ethel Walden. Maxalee was raised on a farm where the Blue Spring Heritage Center is now located, about five miles south of Eureka Springs. The youngest of four children, she had stories to tell of life on the farm with her two brothers and her sister. She had good memories of the house where she was raised, the barn on the property and of course the spring and nearby creek that she had to cross on her way to school. She had vivid memories of Eureka Springs, the businesses occuppying the old buildings, the hotel where her mother worked and the outdoor pavilion where her sister would dance on weekends.In 1940 the family moved to Tulsa where Maxalee met her life-long friend Oveta McCorkle with whomshe communicated frequently until the last few weeks before her passing. Maxalee and Oveta were friends for 82 years. While attending Central High School Maxalee met John Paul Ford. They married April 25th, 1945 and had one child, Stephen John Ford.In the late 1960's Maxalee went to work at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa where she became good friends with the Nuns. She took them on several trips to her old hometown of Eureka Springs where she showed them the sites and attended The Passion Play. On July 3, 1979 Maxalee married her favorite dance partner, George Edward Hess of Pryor Oklahoma. After a few years in Pryor they moved to Tulsa where Maxalee found her ministry in her church ladies class were she started the Circle of Friends Sewing group. The group would make “Baby Bundles” which included handmade caps, blankets and a variety of gifts to be distributed in the church and at local hospitals. They also worked on many other projects including lap quilts for the elderly.Maxalee's other interests included swimming, craft classes, quilting, and of course her grandchildren and great grandchildren.Christmas was undoubtedly Maxalee's favorite holiday.She was the biggest kid when it came to presents. She would shake and rattle and sometimes unwrap gifts when no one was looking. Maxalee had fun! She and her sister Ruby and Niece Joyce Ann would laugh so hard it was infectious . As her many friends would tell you she was fun to be around. One such example would be a cookout at Keystone Lake celebrating her 80th birthday. To our great joy the church activity bus showed up filled with ladies from her Sunday School class.What a great day that was.Maxalee is preceeded in death by Her parents Sidney and Ethel; her two brothers, Sidney and Gorden Walden of Tulsa; her sister Ruby Bradley of Joplin, Missiouri and husband George Hess. Maxalee is survived by her son, Stephen John Ford and wife Connie of Edmond,Oklahoma; Grandchildren Lance Eugene Ford and wife Christine of Edmond, Oklahoma; and Stephanie Dee Butler and husband Wesley of Bixby, Oklahoma;Great Grandchildren; Mitchell Paul, Nicholas Troy, Jacob Del, Jonathan Wesley and one Great Granddaughter and namesake, Faith Jo-Frances.
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