(LaVoris) Maxine Corbet (93) passed away peacefully Sunday (April 12, 2020) morning at Maple Heights Nursing Center in her hometown of Hiawatha, Kansas. Her daughter Carolyn Rosenberger was by her side, holding her hand, at the time of her passing.

Maxine was born on December 3, 1926, north of Hiawatha at the home of her parents Ernest and Beulah (Starrett) Jimeson. She attended the one room Hart Grade School and graduated from Reserve (Kan.) High School in 1944. While working as a soda jerk at Spaulding’s Drug Store in Hiawatha, she met a man whom everyone just called Kenny. On March 9, 1947, she married that man, Kenneth George Corbet, at the Reserve Christian Church. They would spend the next 55 years like two peas in a pod before Kenny passed away on August 18, 2002. Maxine and Kenny spent the first 20 years of their marriage on farms in northern and eastern Brown County before moving to Hiawatha in the spring of 1967, where she would spend the rest of her life.

With her husband Kenny working countless hours to provide for her and their six children – Steve, Jim, Debbie, Max, Alan and Carolyn – Maxine was the ROCK of the family. She created a loving atmosphere for her sons and daughters, and their many friends, which brought the greatest joy to her life. She was a mother who was always there to provide love, compassion, sympathy and hard knocks when needed.

One trait that always stood out was her cheerful and fun disposition, which endeared her to her grandchildren. Born happy, she left this world content. She was one who never took life too seriously, and that included herself. Growing up during the depression she learned to become one of the most resilient people a person would ever meet. While life would be throwing curve balls and hard balls her way, Maxine understood from an early age to keep swinging and eventually the hits would come her way. While times could be tough and some meals might consist of ham salad (bologna) sandwiches or macaroni and eggs with pork and beans, she was also a master chef who could always provide a full course meal at any time, and on time, for whomever stopped by.

Along with her full-time occupation of loving wife and mother, Maxine also found time to serve as a cook at Hiawatha High School. She was an active member of the Alta Vista Club, the Rainbow Club, the Red Hat Club, Eastern Star and many church circles. The Reserve Christian Church where she grew up, and the First United Methodist Church in Hiawatha where she worshiped her adult life, provided her with a solid foundation. Outside providing support at home for her devoted husband Kenny, the church is where Maxine volunteered countless hours. From helping prepare dinner for a grieving family, applying makeup and sewing clothes for the annual live nativity scene at Christmas, to just cleaning the kitchen and taking out the trash, the church is what inspired her. She passed this inspiration along to her family and many others.

Maxine is survived by her sons Steve Corbet (Judy) of Clearwater, Florida; Jim Corbet (Toni) of Biloxi, Mississippi; Max Corbet (Belinda) of Boise, Idaho; Alan Corbet (Tina) of Kansas City, Missouri; and daughters Debbie Heaton (Jim) of Dallas, Texas; and Carolyn Rosenberger (Richard) of Hiawatha. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and her sister Mary Ann Hards (Delmar) of Everett, Washington.

She was proceeded in death by her husband Kenny, her parents Ernest and Beulah Jimeson, and sister Fran Owen (Tracy) of Seattle, Washington.

Friends may call at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hiawatha from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday (April 19). A private graveside service will be held on Monday (April 20) at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Hiawatha.

Flowers can be sent to Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, with memorial gifts sent to First United Methodist Church in Hiawatha.