JoAn Maxwell's Obituary
JoAn Foy Maxwell, 88, of Charlotte died June 9, 2026 at The Pines on Carmel Assisted Living facility. She was born September 13, 1937 to the late James and Bethel Foy.
JoAn spent her childhood in the Davidson area with her much loved dog Tuffy and attended North Mecklenburg High School. Her athletic ability and natural charm shone during her high school years as a member of the basketball team and serving as a member of the queen's court at the North Carolina Apple Festival and representing her school as Carousel Princess in the Thanksgiving Day parade. The athleticism, grace and charm that made her stand out in high school followed her to college. At Appalachian State Teachers College she was a second lieutenant on the drill team, a member of the May Court and crowned Christmas Queen.
JoAn left college to marry Worth Maxwell where they resided in Charlotte. During the early years she was mainly a stay at home mother, but later she took a job as a reservationist for Eastern Airlines. It was during that time she first began to travel and the excitement of visiting new places remained with her. She also enjoyed and excelled at tennis, bowling and bridge. After her children were grown, she relocated back to Davidson, the town she deeply cared about. In Davidson she got her real estate license and worked for Kennerly Development until her retirement.
In her retirement, she embraced life fully, cherishing time with family and friends, exploring new places and enjoying many hours at the bridge table. Her travels included Italy, Greece, Paris, Panama Canal and Iceland. Sundays began in a pew at Davidson United Method Church and ended around a table at the Brick House where she enjoyed the company and lively conversation of her friends.
Survivors include her son, Samuel Maxwell (Jen) and daughter, Beverly Maxwell Whitlow; grandson, William Whitlow(Cali) and great-grandchild, Maxwell "Max". She is also survived by her nieces Pam Maxwell Alexander, Ross Maxwell Davies and Jennifer Foy, and nephew Ricky Foy. She also leaves behind many family and friends including Sandra Boyd and Jane Pound. Her husband Worth Maxwell preceded her in death as well as her brother Sam Foy.
The family would like to thank the staff of The Pines on Carmel for their dedicated care of JoAn. She had many fun times during game night, being elected prom queen at 'prom night' and holiday celebrations which included family.
Memorials may be made to Davidson United Methodist Church.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, June 20 at James Funeral Home with a reception following in the James Funeral Home Community Room.
James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family.
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