John Scott Maxwell
PORTLAND - John Scott Maxwell, MD. passed away peacefully in Portland, OR, on Friday, June 14th at the age of 72 due to complications from ALS. He was surrounded by his three sons and his wife.
John was born on December 28th, 1951 to Charles “Bud” and Betty Maxwell in Salem, OH, the second child of four. He spent summers in high school driving cement trucks for a local construction company. He often drove his motorcycle to high school in Greenford - a hobby he would enjoy throughout his life - and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Wittenberg College and then St. Louis University School of Medicine where he met his future wife, fellow physician Catherine, whom he was married to for nearly 47 years. They lived in Tampa briefly where he completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of South Florida, and then moved to Akron, Ohio, where they lived for forty years. For the majority of his career, Dr. Maxwell served as Chief of Gastroenterology at Akron General Medical Center. He took a position at Cleveland MetroHealth in 2007 training fellows in his specialty, which he enjoyed until his retirement.
John represented many of the best qualities of his generation: He had a lifelong love of learning and a respect for history, and he loved both reading it and visiting sites and museums. He had a can-do and adventurous attitude. He traveled extensively, both in the United States and abroad (one time in England winning a bottle of mead in a yodeling contest). He was fond of road-tripping in the RV to Alaska, Florida, and points in between, and especially enjoyed spending time at the Lake of the Ozarks. He also enjoyed being in nature, and prized his time backpacking in Philmont Scout Ranch in 1967 and then returning in 2005, and went on fishing trips throughout his life in northern Ontario. John was always keen to work with his hands, gardening the tomatoes and rhubarb in his vegetable patch that he prized. Few things made John happier than gathering family together and taking charge of the grill. He loved and doted on his grandchildren, whom he said “deserved ice cream,” to the occasional consternation of their parents, and his relationship with them revealed a particularly goofy side in him. He tried to make the world a better place through his relationships with his family, friends, and patients. He will be missed keenly by those who met, worked with, and knew him.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine, of Portland, Oregon; and three sons, Gregory, Charles and his wife Charlene with their children Matilda and Dean, and Andrew and his wife Ruth.
Services will be held in Versailles, MO, in August. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to ALS Northwest (alsoregon.org).