Haley "Maxine" Orr Vowell

Obituary For Haley "Maxine" Orr Vowell

Haley “Maxine” (Orr) Vowell, 78 of Sunset, TX, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, April 28th, 2022 in Denton, TX.

Family welcomes friends to celebrate her life with a come and go visitation at the First Baptist Church in Sunset, Texas on May 2, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., which will be followed immediately by a service at the church.

A graveside service will be held on May 4, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, Maxine’s home town.

Haley Maxine was born April 29, 1943 in Vardaman, Mississippi to Max Orr and Haley Monette (Parker) Orr. Growing up, she had dresses made from flour sacks, fell off a grapevine and broke her arm (requiring that she carry a sand–filled purse to straighten her arm), fought over duck eggs with her brother Perry, helped care for her younger brother Bennie and sister Charlotte, learned to cook on a wood stove, and picked cotton. Maxine was a superb athlete. In Cotton Valley, Louisiana, she was an all–state basketball player who didn’t miss a free throw her entire senior year, and a cheerleader – she was also drop–dead gorgeous. Her daddy was old school and in his younger days didn’t think women should seek higher education, but despite this, Maxine went to business school and had a career, leaving her Cotton Valley home to work for an insurance agent, traveling throughout northern Louisiana and Arkansas.

In her early teens she met the love of her life, Kenneth Larry Vowell – they had the fairytale football player/cheerleader love story, which lasted fifty–seven years. Maxine and Ken married April 25, 1964. They began their marriage by living in a fifty–foot tall lookout tower on Yogo Mountain in central Montana. Soon after, Ken joined the Air Force and they lived in Oklahoma, Georgia, and California. Along the way, they had two beautiful daughters (hey, we’re writing this thing), Karen Vowell Sales and Pam Vowell Lawrence. Maxine was a brave force of nature, moving far from everything familiar to her and practically single–parenting from the age of twenty–one while her husband served his country as an Air Force pilot. When they finally left the service, they settled in Texas when Ken became a pilot for Delta Airlines. The couple from Cotton Valley became world travelers. During Maxine’s life she visited England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia, Greece, Mexico, and too many places in the United States to name. They eventually moved to Argyle, Texas where they lived for many years. There wasn’t a person in Argyle who didn’t know Maxine. She served her community and church in addition to caring for her family. Finally, when Ken retired, they moved to “The Ranch” in Sunset, Texas, enjoying their grandsons and large social circle of friends.

Maxine was exceptionally generous, selfless, and so many things to so many people during her seventy–eight years on this earthly plane. For us, throughout her life, she was our chef, seamstress (including clothes for our Barbie dolls), accountant, financial planner, chauffer, gardener, defender, typist, repairman, personal shopper, hair stylist (ugh, the way she cut our bangs!) laundress, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, disciplinarian (daddy’s belt – had to get it ourselves – or a hairbrush if you squirmed or protested when she brushed out our hair!), coach, and every other thing a full–time exceptionally loving wife and mom could possibly be. For others in her life, she was a daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, second mom, basketball coach, softball coach, room mother, mentor, volunteer, Bunco player, and friend. Most importantly, she was a child of God who loved Jesus and His word.

Maxine is survived by her husband of fifty–eight years, Kenneth Larry Vowell, her daughter and son–in–law Todd Sales and Karen Vowell Sales, her daughter and son–in–law Pam Vowell Lawrence and Michael Lawrence, her grandsons Aaron Lawrence and Alec Lawrence, her sister and brother–in–law Charlotte and Dewayne Stanley, nieces and nephews Ashley Stanley Copeland, Josh Stanley, Andrew Vowell, Alan Vowell, Max Orr, Blaine Smith, Michael Orr, and Clint Orr, her aunt Velala Langford, numerous grand–nieces and nephews, and too many cousins to count. She was preceded in death by her brothers Perry Orr and Bennie Orr, and her parents Max and Monette Orr.

We weep for our unimaginable loss but rejoice that Maxine has left the suffering of Alzheimer’s for the loving arms of Jesus. We will spend every day missing her until we see her again in Heaven.

If you feel moved, donations in Maxine’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Huntington’s Disease Society of America would be welcomed with love and gratitude.

Arrangements entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home of Bowie, TX.