Maxine C (Powell) Cole

Maxine Cole, 92, of Mitchell passed away on Friday, April 29, 2022. There will a service held at the Mitchell Baptist Church (209 SE High Street) on Friday May 13, 2022 at 1:00 PM.  Pastor Carl Naas will officiate.  There will be an interment following the service at the Lower Mitchell Cemetery.

Maxine C Cole was born in Vale, Oregon on October 18th in the year of our Lord nineteen and twenty nine, daughter of Elmer L Powell and Mary Jane Anderson Powell.

Maxine passed April 29th of this year surrounded by her children Dick Cole, Mary Cannon and Debby Burk at her daughter Debby’s home in Redmond Oregon, she was 92 years old.

Survivors include children, Richard E (Linda) Cole of Irrigon, OR, Mary E (Dan) Cannon of Mitchell, OR and Deborah M (Bill) Burk of Redmond OR.

Grandchildren, Robert L Cannon, Marc D (Jessica) Cannon, Rebecca M Burk (Grant) Lindsay, Gregg M (Julie) Burk, Doug D (Erin) Burk, Richard L (Addy) Cole, Jeff L (Melissa) Cole and a foster Grandson Dexter R (Adreine) Rutherford.

And 26 Great Grandchildren and one Great Great Grandson. And many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by, her parents Elmer and Mary Jane Anderson Powell, her husband E. Lyle Cole, brothers Wallace, Leonard, Billie, Claude and Kent Powell, sisters June Gigear, Lucille Woodward, Iris Stang-Bailey, and Joyce Blake and a special sister-in-law Lorene Powell.

The youngest of ten, Maxine lived in Mormon Basin near Ironside, OR. At eleven she spent a year in Ontario, OR. In 1941 the Powell family move to Mitchell OR where several Mills were operating and work was plentiful.

As a teenager Maxine worked at the Little Pine Cafe, waiting tables while her mother did the cooking. Around this time Maxine met a local handsome man, Lyle Cole, the two were married December 23, 1946 in Winnemucca, NV.

Lyle and Maxine lived in a cabin at the Mitchell camp ground on the banks of Bridge Creek until Maxine graduated from High School

in1947. The couple then moved to the Cole Family Ranch were Maxine learned to cook for the lambing crew, in a house without power or running water. In 1947 Richard Edward Cole was born, Mary Ella Cole Cannon in 1950 and Deborah Marie Cole Burk 1952.

Maxine loved ranch life and enjoyed gardening, canning and quilting. She was active in the community partaking in many school functions as well as a member of the Rebecca’s, American Legion Auxiliary and Mitchell Baptist Church.

During the 60’s she took a job as clerk for George Schnee’s grocery and waited table at the Sidewalk Cafe, to pay for nice dresses for her daughters. In 1972 Maxine became Postmaster of Mitchell and retired in 1992.

In her retirement, Maxine continued to quilt, garden and can, as well caring for her husband Lyle in a house she designed and built from working for the US Postal Service.

Maxine was known far and wide for her desserts, most, notable, her Lemon Meringue Pie which would fetch big money, at local pie action.

Everything she did, she did with love, like hundreds of hand stitched quilts dispersed for special occasions though out the family. Maxine made no secret, for the love she had for her grandchildren and would take many trips with them. Including an epic adventure to Alaska with seven grandchildren and one son-in-law.

Later in life Maxine occupied her time crafting fleece blankets and hand embroidered dish towels.

Maxine was kind, humble, generous and loving and missed dearly her husband Lyle who passed in 2001. She will be missed by all with whom had the pleasure of being in her company.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.