Maxine Rose Schoening

Our world is dimmer without the sparkle of Maxine Rose Schoening (nee King), who passed away on August 25, 2026.  A special ‘Mum’ and ‘Nana’, she will be greatly missed by her daughters: Mary Tamara (Mark) Ehrmann and Joanne Laura (Glenn) Richards; granddaughters Elizabeth Loran and Sally Rose Ehrmann; and grandson Lucas Edward Richards. Born to parents Edward and Cecilia (nee Winkler) King in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, she was raised in the Milwaukee area with her three siblings: her late brother Gerald (Karen) King, Germaine (Robert, deceased) Albert, and Joan (Robert, deceased) Murley.

Maxine was a modern trailblazer; raising and nurturing her family, working full time, pursuing her education, volunteering, entertaining and finding time to be a good friend to many.  She did this all with style (and always in heels!) and never forgot to take the time to stop and appreciate all that she had.

She was married to Franz Joseph Schoening II for 30 years, although their love story did not end there.  In the last decade Maxine and Franz found each other again and were happily living in Florida until he passed in March of 2025. Franz’s family included parents Violet Katherine (nee Moser) and Franz Joseph Sr and siblings Mary Anna (Rudolph, deceased), Joanne (James, deceased), Fred (Pat, deceased), Stephen (Mary Jo, both deceased) and Joseph (Kathy).

Maxine’s curiosity sent her on a path of lifelong learning; from attending kindergarten with her sister, to her happy times at Pius XI Catholic HS, to Mount Mary University where she was the first in her family to pursue higher education, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy (OT).  A bit of a rebel and willing to take chances, she didn’t tell her parents until college classes began but was determined to pay for it herself and make it work.  Getting married and beginning her little family put a pause on college, but she went back when her girls were older, earning her degree. That dynamic spirit drove her to earn a Master’s in Higher Education and pursue her PhD, both at UW-Milwaukee.

Maxine started working as an aide at a local hospital as soon as she was old enough at 14, which started her career path of caring and compassion for people of all walks of life.  She never stopped!  She was an OT at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center in the burn unit, then at St. Mary’s Hill Psych Hospital, and eventually started the OT Assistant program at Milwaukee Area Technical College where she taught for over 25 years.  She started her own business, MSA Associates, to help educate and train minorities and women in business. After she retired, she couldn’t stop trying new things: she was a hotel manager and comptroller, lived as a sorority House Mom at UW-Madison and at The University of New Mexico, and was always ready to lend a hand at many volunteer organizations. One of her favorite volunteer jobs was teaching English in Poland through UNESCO, which she did for several summers.

Always the life of the party and usually the last to leave a gathering, she would gladly help clean up or just sit to decompress with the hosts, anything to keep the party going!  She had so many interests and hobbies it’s hard to list them all; dance, art, cooking, entertaining, swimming, beachgoing, reading, gardening, canning tomatoes, skiing, travel, crosswords and puzzles are just a few.  Her artistic talent showed in her innate ability to make an outfit dazzle or a room look like it should be in a magazine. She was always up for something new and tried kayaking, paddleboarding, and snowshoeing while in her 80s.  Nothing was ever too weird or difficult or out-of-the-ordinary, and she wanted to learn it all.

Her biggest joy was family.  She adored her daughters and encouraged and taught them that life should be enjoyed.  Whether as a scout leader, CCD teacher, member of Tri Psi (Tri Delta mom’s sorority) or chaperone, she jumped into whatever her kids needed. Once her grandchildren arrived, she was totally focused on them and loved to be with them.  She would drive any distance to get to one of their activities or sports, often heading to Chicago and Madison in the same day so she didn’t miss a thing. She was her family’s biggest cheerleader, and we all knew we could do anything with her behind us.

She was proud of her Polish heritage and Catholic faith and enjoyed celebrating the traditions and ceremonies from both. She was a member of Polanki, the Polish Women’s Cultural Club of Milwaukee, and loved sharing her heritage with others.  Oplatki, a thin wafer sheet to share with everyone at Christmas by breaking off a tiny piece until everyone had some, was one of her favorite traditions.  She found some in a Polish deli a few weeks before her death for this Christmas and was so glad to find that elusive item. She loved the Easter blessing of the food on Holy Saturday, and the basket she placed on the altar was always quite extravagant.  She went to the blessing of the animals whenever one of her grand puppies was available to go with her—maybe she thought it would help with the naughty behavior some of them exhibited. She believed in Santa and never once did she say he didn’t exist—in fact Santa still comes for the kids and grandkids and none of them would tell you he wasn’t real.

Trailblazer, nurturer, stylish, curious, rebellious, caring, compassionate, lifelong learner, proud, joyful, family-oriented, faithful— just some of the characteristics described in the above story of Maxine that we will truly remember and miss. She was all of those and more.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 3:30-5:30PM, with a Memorial Service at 4:30PM at Oconomowoc Lake Club, 4668 North Lake Circle, Oconomowoc, WI, 53066.

In honor of a few of Maxine’s favorite things, navy blue, nautical embellishments and/or high heels are greatly welcome.

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