Obituary of Maxine Mae Friederich

Maxine Mae Friederich, age 88 of Green, Kansas, died Thursday, December 12, 2013 at the Clay County Medical Center in Clay Center, Kansas. She was born on December 22, 1924 along with her twin sister, Mary Ellen, the daughter of William Otto and Jessie W. (Ransley) Pfizenmaier. They were delivered by Dr. Warren Morton and his nurse Alice Bigler on the home place in Goshen township. She grew up on the home place a few miles to the west and attended grade school at Mt. Pleasant for eight years. The family attended church at the Hays United Methodist Church and she was baptized there in 1931 by Rev. Homer Wroten. She attended high school in Clay Center and graduated in 1943. Maxine taught school at Schaubel from 1943 to 1944 and at Spence School from 1944 to 1945. During her time at Schaubel she stayed with her grandparents, Fred and Emma Pfizenmaier and walked to Schaubel every day. She had many fond memories of this time in her life. On May 25, 1944 she married Warren Lippert. To this union were born five children: Janice, Jim, Vonda, Beverly, and Barbara. Warren and Maxine set up housekeeping four miles north of Green for two years. From there they moved to Morganville. In 1950 they purchased the grain elevator in Green and moved their family to Green. At this time Maxine became a partner in the business with her husband Warren. In 1962 she was widowed at the age of 36 with five minor children. She continued the business and in 1963, married Howard Friederich. Howard became her partner in the elevator business and stepfather to her five children. She was widowed again after 33 years of marriage in 1996. Maxine retired from the elevator in 1995 after 45 years in the grain and livestock business. She was recognized in Grass and Grain as the only woman owner/operator of a grain elevator in the state of Kansas. In 2004 she married Virgil Peterson. They later divorced. Maxine enjoyed playing the piano, gardening, canning, raising livestock, family activities, and polka music. She enjoyed large Christmas gatherings with Santa, gifts, and church, and of course Easter might have a 25 man egg hunt. Maxine attended church at the Green United Methodist Church. Interests included supporting the Flint Hills Christian School in Green. She felt God had blessed her and she enjoyed blessing others with her generosity. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Jessie Pfizenmaier; husbands Warren Lippert and later Howard Friederich; two brothers-Paul and Harvey Pfizenmaier; grandson Jeff George and great-granddaughter Carissa Lippert. She is survived by one son, Jim Lippert and wife Judy of Green; four daughters, Janice George and husband John of Green, Vonda Wiedmer and husband Jerome of Madison, Beverly Caley and husband Bob of Green and Barbara Crowl of Green; 15 grandchildren, Jason George, Jennifer Burget, Jay and Justin Lippert, Jodi Peirce, Josh and Jared Wiedmer, Calley Willroth, Mandy Morgan, Stacy Soileau, Molly Brew, Sondra Megrail, Jessie Crawford, Adam and Aaron Crowl, and spouses; 34 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Mary Ellen Kretz of Clay Center, Kansas and Shirley Berggren and husband David of Clay Center, Kansas. Funeral services were held on December 16, 2013 at the Clay Center United Methodist Church in Clay Center with Pastor Gale Lund officiating. Music was furnished by Cathy Hafner. Pallbearers were Adam Crowl, Aaron Crowl, Justin Lippert, Jay Lippert, Jared Wiedmer, Josh Wiedmer and Jason George. Burial was in the Greenwood Cemetery in Clay Center. A memorial has been established for an educational fund for Flint Hills Christian School in Green.