Harriett Maxine Mefford (Taylor)

Harriett Maxine (Taylor) Mefford was born on October 15, 1928 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma to parents Harriett F. (Rosse) Taylor and Maurice Herbert Taylor. She had an older sister, Patricia Jane (Taylor) Ramsey. The family moved to Kansas City shortly before Maxine started high school at Westport High. After graduating in 1946, she worked in Kansas City as a key punch operator before marrying her high school sweetheart, Richard L. Mefford on August 26, 1950.

Together Maxine and Richard raised two daughters in Kansas City. They were members of St. George’s Episcopal Church, and later Trinity Episcopal in Independence and The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Blue Springs. She enjoyed participating in amateur theater productions at St George’s. Maxine served on the Altar Guild and worked shifts at The Mustard Seed thrift shop. She also knitted socks, caps, and scarves for sailors through the Seamen’s Church Institute Christmas at Sea program. She was a generous and charitable soul, a joyful person, and always on the go.

Outside of her church involvement, Maxine volunteered with the Head Start program in the 1960s when it was first launched. She later took a job at Burns & McDonnell where she worked through the 1970s. She retired in the mid 1980s to provide childcare for her grandchildren. Spending time with her grandkids was one of her favorite activities. She loved taking them on outings and exposing them to arts, culture, and music all around Kansas City.

Some of Maxine’s fondest memories were of camping with family. In her retirement, she also enjoyed traveling around the country with Richard to attend his Army 2nd Division reunions. A railroad trip across Canada was one of her favorite vacations.

Maxine was a voracious reader and particularly loved biographies and the “Rumpole of the Bailey” series of books. She was an excellent cook and she shared many favorite recipes with her daughters and granddaughters, including the family recipe for homemade dinner rolls, a highlight of many holiday gatherings.

She died at home in Blue Springs on July 30, 2018. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, and her husband. She is survived by daughter Susan Lee (Mefford) Beard & husband Byron; daughter Elizabeth Ann (Mefford) White; grandchildren: Tacey Lynn (Beard) Mullen & husband Curtis, Richard Dean Beard, Kelly Elizabeth (Morris) Sinrud & husband Jordan, Allison Cathleen (White) Barnes & husband Tony, and David Andrew White; great-granddaughter Moira Kathleen Mullen; and a host of loving nieces and nephews and their families.

Services will be held on Friday August 3, 2018 at 11:00 am at The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Blue Springs. The family would like to thank Heartland Hospice for the care provided in the final week of Maxine’s life. In keeping with Maxine’s devotion to a broad array of philanthropic causes, we suggest that any donations in her honor be made to the charitable organization of your choice.