Dec. 31, 1935 – Nov. 21, 2009

Maxine was born on New Year’s Eve in Rogers, Minnesota, the youngest of Reinhardt and Kathleen Drewelow. The family moved to Oregon when she was 10, following her father’s purchase of a ranch in Prineville on his way home to Minnesota after working in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands with the Army Corps of Engineers.

Maxine lived in or near 10 metropolitan areas in her lifetime, including Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; San Francisco and Los Angeles, California; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; and Chicago, Illinois. She spent most of her life in and around Washington, D.C., where she received an M.A. in Special Education from George Washington University. She joined the faculty of Georgetown University early in the 1970s.

Some of Maxine’s volunteer activities included Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Hospital Auxiliary of Fairfax, Virginia; serving on the Board of Directors, Vanguard, Arlington, Virginia; overseeing treatment centers and raising funds, Phoenix Concept in Denver; homeless recovery center for men, the Board of Directors/Treasurer LAPSD, Prineville, and addressing the needs of alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health. She also volunteered at the Prineville Oasis soup kitchen and the St. Joseph’s Altar Society.

Prior to her M.A., Maxine received a B.A. in Education from Marylhurst College near Portland. Most of her life, she was a teacher, mentoring many students from early childhood to college level. She treasured her years as a flight attendant with United Airlines out of Seattle, Washington, and New York City.

In New York City, she met and married Aldo Facca, a New York City native and they together lived in many different areas. Aldo died in 1981. Amy Facca, Maxine’s daughter, lives in Troy, New York. Her son, Thomas Facca lives in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Christine and sons, Steven, 15, and Marc 13. She is also survived by sister, Anne (Dale) Andrus of Evergreen, Colorado, and brother, David (Alice) Drewelow of La Jolla, California and their children and grandchildren.

Maxine married Henry Gillespie III in 1996. Although they divorced in 2001, they continued to be devoted, supportive friends.

Maxine’s great love was children, her own and others, and especially the special needs child. Her great achievement was raising funds, planning, sketching and implementing a playground for developmentally disabled children in Alexandria, Virginia, with appropriate and safe equipment.

Maxine took special delight in decorating, gardening, cooking, and entertaining her far-flung family and many friends, and shared her infectious enthusiasm, smiles, laughter, appreciation of beauty and simple pleasures, and robust enjoyment of life with everyone she met.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 am, on Friday, March 19, 2010, at St. Josephs Catholic Church, in Prineville, Oregon, with a graveside service following at Juniper Haven Cemetery. Father Robert Greiner will officiate.

Contributions can be made to St. Joseph’s Rebels Roost Recovery Club, 150 E. 1st St., Prineville, OR 97754, or to the Pioneer Memorial Hospice, 1201 NE Elm St., Prineville, OR 97754. The family wishes to extend special thanks to the Hospice of the Cascades.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Prineville Funeral Home.

Maxine E. (Drewelow) Facca-Gillespie