Maxine Rader
Jul 14, 2023
Maxine "Mackie" Rader departed on her final adventure on July 14, 2023. She was born in Kansas, and enjoyed a happy childhood which she recalled fondly. She went to the University of Kansas, where she lived at the Miller Scholarship Hall and studied education.
While attending KU, she met her future husband, William "Bill" Rader. While Bill pursued medical training, the burgeoning family lived in Kansas City and Sacramento, Calif., and then moved to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1956, in response to an ad in a medical journal, under foreign postings, for a General Practitioner. They attended the bonfire on the park strip celebrating Alaska statehood in 1959 and then headed down the Alcan to Cincinnati, Ohio, for a three-year stint for Bill's residency in psychiatry. The family returned to Anchorage in 1962, where Maxine and Bill raised their six children.
Family was Maxine's top priority. She allowed her children the freedom to become unique individuals. Whether it was reading them a bedtime story, reviewing a difficult school assignment, sending cranberry nut bread care packages or taking the time to get to know their friends, her children knew they mattered and were loved. She shared her zest for life by organizing adventures and outings for family and friends. She was an inspiration for remaining active and adventurous.
Maxine loved music. She played the violin in the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and fiddle in the Anchorage Community Theatre production of Dark of the Moon. The family danced around the piano at Christmas while she played carols by ear and sang along with her when she entertained the whole clan with folk songs on the guitar. She sang on the Ed Sullivan show with the Anchorage Community Chorus and even jammed with Pete Seeger at a house party.
An avid bridge player, whether with her husband or with various friends, she was a sought after partner. She traveled the state to play at friends' cabins and even rode the rails to Denali National Park to win some tricks at the old hotel before the Parks Highway was built.
She enjoyed hiking, biking and skiing. Though she did not see mountains until her 20s, she was a founding member of The Hillside Hikers and Bikers. Whether around Anchorage, in the Chugach Foothills, the mountains on the Kenai Peninsula or the Chilkoot Trail, she loved being on the trails. She continued backpacking into her 80s. The surest way to slow down this nature lover was to point to a plant or bird for identification.
After she was widowed in 1984, she explored the world, traveling extensively with her daughter Lolly, Elder Hostel, friend Donna Cherrier and many others. She eventually visited all the continents, including Antarctica. Whether traveling abroad or exploring Alaska, she enjoyed experiencing new cultures, appreciating the beauty of natural surroundings and meeting people who had different world views.
Maxine loved writing, keeping travel journals, maintaining a large correspondence with family and friends from every period in her life, and attending a weekly creative writing workshop. She was quite a conversationalist and was interested in people and curious about their stories and lives. She listened without judgement. She could always find redeeming value in even the most difficult of people. She never turned away a stray, whether person, pet or politician.
Maxine was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; and siblings. She is survived by her children, Cam Rader (Beth), Wendy (Steve), Robin (Maggi), Brad (Richard), Carrie (Dennis) and Lolly; as well as 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life is planned for 11 a.m., on Sept. 9, 2023, at the Russian Jack Chalet. Instead of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a charity you support that promotes tolerance or nature.
