SALINA – Madonna Maxine (Heller) Strawn of Salina passed away on Wednesday, March 27, 2020. Born in Hunter, Kansas, on May 4, 1929 to Walter and Lydia (Little) Heller, Maxine was a lifelong educator. She loved to read and learn, was valedictorian of Hunter High School in 1947, and graduated in 1950 from Kansas State University with degrees in both Elementary and Secondary Education.
She began her teaching career in 1951 at Beloit Elementary where she taught first grade. Returning to K-State in 1967 she received her Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education. Maxine then taught kindergarten in Colby and for over twenty years in Salina, retiring in 1994.
Maxine’s recognitions for excellence as an educator were many but what mattered most to her was her students. She loved the joy of teaching, especially teaching reading skills, the focus of her graduate studies. Her students reciprocated the thoughtful attention given them. When Maxine’s own grandchildren came to visit her in Salina, they found their “Granny” was greeted everywhere by her former students, calling for her attention with “Mrs. Strawn”! She relished recalling the special talents of each child and remembered them years after they had been in her classroom. She devoted many volunteer hours to helping children, in both reading and math, after her retirement.
Maxine had learned from her parents and grandparents the importance of community involvement. With a young family while in Beloit, she was an active member of the Methodist Church and with Scouting and 4-H. A member of First Presbyterian Church in Salina, Maxine served as a Stephens Minister and was ordained as a deacon and an elder for multiple terms spanning thirty years. She was an active volunteer at Salina Regional Health Center, at the Smoky Hill River Festival, as a gallery attendant at the Salina Arts Center, as an office volunteer for Salina Arts and Humanities Office, and as a Morrison House hostess. Maxine was a member of PEO, Delta Kappa Gamma, AAUW and Catbackers, an avid K-State fan who regularly attended home games and followed the Wildcats to many Bowl games.
Maxine was married to Clifford Strawn on August 27, 1950, and to their marriage were born three children. She is survived by daughter Cynthia Browne and husband Chuck of Murfreesboro, TN, by daughter Sandra and life partner George Abraham of Hartford, WI and son Barry Strawn and wife Kim of Longwood, FL. Grandchildren include Katie Browne, Laura (Browne) Jackson and husband Alex, Jacob Garst, and James Strawn. Her sister Vivian (Heller) Sackhoff of Wichita and family also mourn her passing.
Memorial services for Maxine will be held at a later date due to the current restrictions on travel and group gatherings. Memorials in her name may be given to First Presbyterian Church of Salina or to the Salina Education Foundation.
