Marlene Ida Maxwell's Obituary
Marlene (Ida) Kruse Maxwell 1935 - 2025
Marlene (Ida) Kruse Maxwell was born in the Bronx, NYC, on November 22, 1935. She passed away peacefully on April 30, 2025 in West Linn, Oregon at the age of 89.
Marlene spent her early years with her parents, Ida Schwedhelm Kruse and Andreas H Kruse and her older brother, Andreas “Andy” Kruse. Her father passed away when she was young and she was raised by a single mom with help from a close-knit family and many lifelong friends. She attended Our Savior Lutheran School and pursued higher education at Concordia College in River Forest, IL where she would have to leave after a year because of finances.
On August 24, 1957, Marlene married Bruce Reynolds Maxwell at Our Savior Lutheran Church in the Bronx. They met at Virginia Beach where Marlene and her friend were vacationing and Bruce was on leave from the Navy with a shipmate. They bonded while singing shared Lutheran Hymns.
The couple settled in the Bronx and Queens, NYC before moving to Branford, CT and then Florham Park, NJ where they raised their two sons. Always active in their local Lutheran Church, they especially enjoyed singing in the choirs and developing meaningful relationships. Marlene maintained strong relationships with family and friends throughout her life, even from grade school. She and Bruce developed a special bond with three of Marlene’s youngest nieces who lived with them for a year and remained especially close to.
Marlene went back to school to earn a Certificate of Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and was the bookkeeper for the Florham Park School District for many years.
As a voracious reader, Marlene developed a vocabulary that helped her become a proficient and dedicated crossword puzzler, usually completing two NY Times puzzles a day. In addition to reading, Marlene found peace and purpose in volunteering and especially spending time with old and new friends and family.
After retiring, Marlene and Bruce lived in Leesburg, Florida and would travel by camper van to Oregon every summer to visit their sons and their families. While still in Florida, Marlene and Bruce enjoyed volunteering for Angel Flight Southeast and a local Hospital.
In 2010, they moved to Oregon full-time and volunteered for the delivery of Meals on Wheels as well as being active at St. Andrew Lutheran church in Beaverton until they moved to West Linn for health reasons.
Marlene is pre-deceased by her husband, Bruce Reynolds Maxwell and survived by her sons, Bruce (Joyce) Maxwell and Duane (Susan) Maxwell; her grandchildren, Colin and Trevor Maxwell, Ian and Megan MacDonald; nieces, Amy Wood, Marie-Cecile Kruse, Anne-Sophie (Kruse) Meeks, Alexandra Kruse and nephew Andreas Kruse III.
A joint service for Bruce and Marlene Maxwell will be held at St Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, OR at 2 o’clock on July 19th, 2025. In lieu of flowers please send donations in memory of Marlene Maxwell to The St. Andrew Foundation (https://standrewlutheran.com/give/st-andrew-foundation/), St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 12405 SW Butner Rd, Beaverton OR 97005.
What’s your fondest memory of Marlene?
What’s a lesson you learned from Marlene?
Share a story where Marlene's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Marlene you’ll never forget.
How did Marlene make you smile?