MEYER, Maxine

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona - 12/02/2003 Maxine Meyer (Wurts, Stone), 83, died Sunday, Nov. 16,2003 in Glendale after a year-long battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). She was born July 16, 1920 in Florence, to Addie Lee and Charles Stone. Maxine and her sister Imogene were raised in Mesa. Maxine attended Arizona State University, then known as "Tempe Normal School" where she discovered a lifelong love of dancing and the arts. In 1942 she married Peter J. Wurts, an Army Air Corps cadet (and later Arizona motel operator) with whom she had three children: Barbara Lynn (b.1944, d.1994), Charles Jay (b.1947) and Theresa Bell (b.1960). They were divorced in 1975 and she subsequently married Tom Meyer of Scottsdale, whom she divorced in 1979. Maxine, who studied with noted Arizona artists Rose Avey, Paul Coze, James Strong, Art Hahn, Muriel Magenta, and Jasper D'Ambrosi, was a dedicated artist whose work has been shown in several Phoenix and Scottsdale galleries. Signing her paintings "Tomax" she produced a large number of oils for her friends, family, and collectors in several states. She was best-known for her interpretive flower studies, kachinas, and portraits; with later forays into bronze sculpture and video production. Over her long and productive life, she was active with a variety of organizations, including the Arizona Air National Guard Wives' Club, Best Western motels, the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale Artists' League, National/ Arizona Women's Art Caucus, and community access cable TV. Her last decade was spent in collaboration with Dr. Dana Myatt, providing naturopathic healing services and counseling to patients around the country. In 1992, she won the Talent Competition for her solo dance recital, "The Lord's Prayer," performed in the Ms. Senior Arizona Pagent. Maxine "Max" and Dr. Myatt made their home in Snowflake for the past three years. Max is survived by her two children, Jay and Theresa; three grandchildren, Mickey Wurts, Peter A.S. Wurts and Sally Black. A memorial service for Maxine will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. at Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Her Family requests that in lieu of flowers, a contribution be made in Maxine's name to the Muscular Dystophy Association. www.almooregrimshaw.com