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Les Maxon 5/7/1928 (or 4/7/1928 depending on whether you believe the tribe or the county) - 9/30/2021 Les was born on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota on a cattle and sheep ranch near the Grand River, one of 5 kids, near where Sitting Bull was killed. He worked hard on the ranch and excelled at football and basketball. One year he attended Indian boarding school at Fort Yates, ND and they beat McLaughlin in basketball. The following year he was playing for McLaughlin and they beat Fort Yates. Coincidence? I don't think so. After high school, he made his way out to Washington where he worked at a number of things prior to his career at Ma Bell. This included being a hod carrier and digging side sewers with a pick and a 5 foot shovel. In those days, a man could make a living wage if he knew how to handle a 5 foot shovel. He called it his 5 foot shovel rule. He believed that 2 things were leading to the downfall of our society; the loss of jobs that mostly required the optimal use of a 5 foot shovel and Facebook. At Pacific NW Bell, he started out as a lineman, and worked his way up, getting experience in various departments and jobs along the way, including being a coin collector, selling yellow page ads, working in the business office as a service rep and manager, and finally ending his 40 year telephone career back in construction running the very large southwest Washington district. Upon retiring from Pacific NW Bell, Les seized an opportunity to work with Ken Junkins of The Eagle Group, in teaching leadership, among other things. Aside from teaching, Les would fly in fresh crab and oysters from Washington, and put on what would become his famous seafood fests, featuring Oysters Rockefeller. Along the way he would bring more influence and create new friendships that would last to his death and memories that would outlive him. Along the way, Les influenced and impacted scores of lives. So many of these people have expressed sadness in his passing, but over and over, the message was crystal clear; Les Maxon impacted and influenced their lives like no other. This is very high praise from such humble beginnings. In his personal life, Les was lucky enough to have 2 great loves in his life. One was the former Marcelle Millhuff of Renton Washington. He met her at a dance that she attended with her parents, after returning home early from a date that didn't go too well. She was pretty, had a gorgeous voice and sang for the USO. She even cut a demo of My Happiness. When asked what drew her to Les, she replied that she knew that he worked in construction and looked good and he wore freshly shined shoes, and his fingernails were clipped and clean. Well, there you go. Together they had 5 children, Mark, Marles, Michael, Debra and Lisa: one grandson Lakota, who passed away at a young age, and a great-grand daughter Tashiena. Unfortunately Mark, the first born, died a sudden death at 10 months old, and Dad struggled with that for the rest of his life. Marcelle passed away from complications following heart surgery in 1991. Deb also passed away at a young age in 2010 of a brain tumor. Really tough times.. Les spent a number of years as a snowbird between Washington and the Coachella Valley in California. Eventually in about 2000, he moved full time to the desert and bought a place. In about 5-7 years, he found the second real love of his life in Barbara Roquet of Rancho Mirage. Calling Barbara a gem would not be an exaggeration. He treated Barbara like the Queen that she was, and she, with her big heart, returned that love many fold. He felt that he had hit the jackpot for the second time. Les's last 12-14 years in the desert were spent with Barbara, having some great times entertaining, spending summers in Crescent City, traveling to Europe and New Zealand, and going on a cruise to Alaska where his daughter Marles was working on the cruise ship. And let's not forget Jim and Larry across the street, where he would go for morning coffee, attempting to solve the problems of the world. They were his buddies. And then there was Ed, Barbara's cousin, who would call him every day just to check in. Les was a latecomer to the game of golf. He took it up in his 30's when he became Business Office Manager in Aberdeen, Washington. He became quite an avid golfer, although he never reached what he considered his real potential. He mostly plateaued at a 16 handicap, but would periodically flirt with 13, and one time got down to a 9. He really loved to BBQ and spend time in the kitchen. He rebuilt from scratch 3-4 cast iron BBQ's that were set for the junk heap. When he was done, they were showroom ready. He was always making soups, stews, guacamole, and if you were on his friend list, you would periodically get some; probably 20% to 30% of what he made he handed out to others. In the last 4-5 years, due to back issues, Les was no longer able to play golf. That was a tough fact to accept. In the last couple of years, he had slowed down, and in the last four months his health had declined more rapidly, but he still had his wits, even if it took more of an effort to get his point across to others or to get him to understand what you were telling him. On Sept 30, 2021 he found himself on his journey to The Happy Hunting Grounds, as he would refer to it. And he was pretty good at picking off those prairie chickens and grouse with that little 410 shotgun. The family would like him to be remembered not with sadness, but with love, fond memories, and a smile, and maybe some remembrances of some of his one liners, like 'save your money, it's going to be a long winter', or 'don't get in a pissin' match with skunk'. That second one he would let lapse once in a while. Les is survived by son, Michael and daughters Marles and Lisa Lastly, in lieu of flowers or other gifts, please send any donations to: The Boys and Girls Club of The Grand River Area P.O. Box 229 McLaughlin, S.D. 57642 605-823-2381 Donations can be made via PayPaL standingrockbngclub.wordpress.com

Tributes

Lester Michael Maxon

May 7, 1928 - September 30, 2021