Funeral Services for Maxwell “Max” Giddens, age 73, of Brownwood will be held Saturday December 15, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at Austin Avenue Church of Christ with Tom Washburn officiating; Interment will follow at Bangs Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday evening December 14, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Davis-Morris Funeral Home Chapel.
Max was born on April 9, 1939 in Harlingen, TX and passed away on December 11, 2012 in Brownwood, TX after a long illness. He was born to Charles Giddens and Eunice (Powell) Giddens. Max attended school from first grade through high school in Brownwood. He played the violin in the Brownwood High School orchestra and graduated in 1957. His love for music gave him and others great pleasure all his life. This love for music was handed down to his children and grandchildren. After high school, Max attended Letourneau Tech, where he increased his knowledge of electrical and mechanical skills. He also graduated from Parkland School of X-Ray in Dallas, TX.
In 1957, he met the love of his life, Nona Jean Barnett, daughter of Benton Dow Barnett and Opal (Beakley) Barnett of Bangs, TX. They were married March 21, 1959. This began a 53-year love story. Their happiness was increased by the birth of their three children, Andrea, Bradley and Stephanie.
After Max and Nona married, they moved to Dallas, where Max worked for Gilbert X-Ray Co. He was transferred to Midland and then to El Paso. After 15 years, Max resigned from Gilbert and established his own company, Preferred X-Ray Service. His company provided sales, installation and maintenance of medical equipment in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. In 1986, business in these areas slowed down and Max was offered the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. He and his crew installed all of the medical equipment and trained the staff in one of their new hospitals. It was quite an adventure. After this job was completed, Max moved his company to Grants Pass, OR, where he and Nona lived for 14 years. Max became ill with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and was very ill for several years. In 2003, he and Nona moved back home to Brownwood. In 2004, Max had a heart transplant. Through all of his illnesses, his spirit never wavered.
Max loved God and was a dedicated Christian. He served as a Deacon in the Eastwood Church of Christ while they lived in El Paso and he and Nona are members of the Austin Avenue Church of Christ here in Brownwood.
Max was a kind and loving person. He loved his family beyond description. Among his many accomplishments, he was the self-crowned “King of Chicken and Dumplings.” He loved to cook and we were always waiting with our plates in hand anytime he was in the kitchen. Max also had the heart and spirit of an adventurer. He was a pilot, he loved exploring caves and riding the rapids on the Rogue River, down into Hell’s Gate Canyon in Oregon. There was nothing he could not do mechanically or electrically. While he was recovering from his illness, he built a 1957 Chevrolet pickup, which was his pride and joy. All his adult life, he was the “Go to Guy” for all of his many family and friends.
Max is survived by his loving wife, Nona, his daughter Andrea and husband Mike Lee of Bangs, TX his son Bradley and wife Shelley Giddens of Idabel, OK, and his daughter Stephanie and husband Carl Wagner of Los Angeles, CA. Grandchildren: Craig and wife Stefanie Lee of Vancouver, WA, Brittani and husband Tim Price of Austin, TX, Timothy and wife Cara Giddens of Edmond, OK, and Megan, Abby and Erin Giddens of Idabel, OK. Great Grandchildren: Ryder and Emery Lee and Ethan and Hudson Maxwell Price. Two sisters: Charlsie Cooke of Marshall, TX and Alta and husband John Wayne Green of Bangs, TX. Two sister-in-law’s: Janice Smith of Brownwood, TX and June and husband Charles Winfrey of Brownwood, TX.
Preceding Max in death are his parents Eunice Preston and Charles Giddens, his Step-Father, Leroy Preston, two brother-in-laws HW (Dub) Luman and Charles Cooke and In-laws, Benton and Opal Barnett. Condolences may be left for the family at www.davismorrisfuneralhome.com.
