WATERTOWN, NY — On April 28th, 2021 Maxine M. Quigg left this Earth suddenly and without warning.
Maxine Marie Engstrom was born on December 3rd, 1970, in Williams Lake,
British Columbia, Canada to two loving parents – Fred and Mary Jane Engstrom.
Williams Lake, known as ‘the hub of the Cariboo’, is a region of British Columbia once abundant with caribou, settled by non-indigenous travelers as they caravanned North during the Cariboo gold rush of 1860-67. Today, Williams Lake is known for the Williams Lake Stampede, the second largest professional Canadian rodeo after the Calgary Stampede.
In her 50 years, Maxine lived energetically, vivaciously, and compassionately. Her
energy never dwindled – growing up, Maxine excelled in school and sports. A straight-A student, Maxine played volleyball, basketball and soccer, and starred as Sandy in her high school’s production of Grease. Anyone who knew Maxine understood that her highly varied interests ranged from marine biology to acting to interior design – she was a master of anything she set her mind to from a young age.
Maxine graduated from Columneetza Secondary School in 1988 and took a year-
long course at Douglas College in business administration. Maxine worked in Vancouver as a real estate receptionist before attending nursing school at Cariboo College from ’91-’93, where she received an award for Excellence in Clinical Nursing. In the spring of ’93, Maxine met her husband Joseph Quigg while working as a registered nurse at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake. For Maxine and Joe, it was love at first sight. They were happily married at their log cabin on December 30th, 1995.
From ’95-’97, Maxine attended West Coast Massage Therapy in Vancouver, BC,
graduating after giving birth to her son Connor Quigg. She ran her own massage therapy business in Williams Lake for 3 years, giving birth to her daughter Kennedy in 1998.
The Quigg family moved to Watertown, NY, in 2001. Maxine became a stay-at-
home mom and played a huge role in establishing her family in the community. She was part of the Parent-Teachers Association at Sherman Elementary school and often volunteered in her children’s classroom. The students knew her as “Mrs. Quigg”, “Connor’s Mom”, or “Mrs. Connor”. Maxine made her kids’ Halloween costumes, attended school trips, hosted a community-wide scavenger hunt for her husband’s birthday, and threw festive parties. Not one to idle for long, Maxine began volunteering for the Watertown YMCA, soon becoming a board member and financial director.
Maxine served in different capacities on the Flower Memorial Library Board for 13
years, and sat on the Northern New York Community Foundation board of directors.
In 2005, in collaboration with various partners, Maxine helped establish North
Country Reads to promote literacy throughout the north country. In 2006, Maxine
received the Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction award accompanied by a congratulatory letter from former First Lady Michelle Obama. Maxine was voted NPR Volunteer of the Year in 2007.
In 2009, Maxine received her real estate license and worked as a real estate agent for ExitMore Realty from 2010 to 2016, becoming a Top Tri-County Producer from
2011 onward.
In 2016, Maxine and Terry O’Brien became licensed brokers and co-owners of
Bridgeview Real Estate Services, where they worked tirelessly and selflessly to offer a fair and honest work place, treating everyone with respect. Their brokerage became their second family, their kindness matched only by their work ethic – Bridgeview Realty was the second top North Country brokerage in 2020, only to become the top-producing brokerage in 2021.
Described by her mother, Mary Jane, Maxine could “light up a room with her smile… extremely artistic and creative, could chop her own wood, always had a positive outlook on life.” “Maxine loved music, dancing, made incredibly detailed birthday cakes, worked hard in everything she did and never forgot her roots.”
Maxine is survived by her parents Mary Jane and Fred Engstrom, her brother
Mitchell Engstrom, niece Sunney Engstrom and nephews Zane and Vance Engstrom.
Maxine leaves behind two loving sisters-in-law, Roxanne Engstrom, Kim Horrill,
brother-in-law Wayne Horrill, and mother-in-law Betty Anne Winstone. Her loving
husband Joseph Quigg and two children, Connor and Kennedy Quigg, are Maxine’s living legacy.
Maxine was a bright star in the lives of everyone she met. We miss her greatly and
live every day in her honor and remembrance.
If public ceremonies for Maxine are held they will be announced by her family.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Northern New York
Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601 to help establish the Maxine Quigg and Terry O’Brien Reach for the Stars Fund. If donating online, please visit https://nnycf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate.
For Canadian residents or any interested donor, cheques can be made payable to
the TRU Foundation to establish the Maxine (Engstrom) Quigg Memorial Award. This award will support second-year nursing students at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada. To mail a cheque, please write Maxine (Engstrom) Quigg in the memo line. Cheques can be sent to: TRU Foundation, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops BC V2C 0C8. To process a credit card payment over the phone, please call (778) 471-8469.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Cleveland Funeral Home, Inc., 404 Sherman St, Watertown, NY 13601.
Online condolences may be made at www.clevelandfhinc.com.