Obituary of Maxine Johnson

Died peacefully with her family by her side, on Sunday, January 6th, 2012 at Sarah House. Just short of her 90th birthday, she fought a brief battle with cancer. Max was born on March 12, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA. to Ernest and Clara Trowbridge. She was the youngest of seven children, all of whom are deceased. During the depression, Maxine was carted around downtown L.A. in a little red wagon by her older brothers, where they would stand on a street corner and sell pot holders to help their family put food on the table; hence her determination and strong willed demeanor as a person. As a young woman, at the age of 18, she graduated from Manual Arts High School, and found her first job as a "roller skate courier" in the Lockeed factory in Los Angeles, CA.In 1946 she married John Shepherd, who was a furniture builder, and she soon discovered her new passion in life, the "Home Furnishing Industry". She attended Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles and became more involved in interior design. Max and John would end up designing many model homes in new track developments around central Calif. They soon moved to Santa Barbara when their children were young and Maxine continued working in this field for the next 40 yrs. In the 1980's she managed Hayward's of Santa Barbara Furniture Dept, creating beautiful showrooms and selling fine furniture. In the late 80's and into the 90's she worked at Garrett's Furniture Store, and she was able to consult many clients in their homes, in aspects of floor design and color. For those of us who were fortunate enough to know Max, she had a charisma like no other. She held fast to what she believed in, and always stayed positive. Her liveliness would rub off on those around her, and she always kept us laughing. Most recently she was a member of the Lawn Bowling Club in Santa Barbara where she stayed active and met many new friends. She loved gardening, traveling, and cooking. Her "German Potatoes Salad" will live on forever! Her first love though was her family, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. We will all miss you so much and will hold you in our hearts forever! She is survived by her three children; Linda Pope (L. Richard Pope) of Prescott, Arizona; Tom Shepherd (Susan) of Santa Barbara, and Nancy Reed (Tim) also of Santa Barbara. Her grandchildren are Justin, Erin and Jaime Reed, and Colin and Katherine Shepherd. She also has 2 great granddaughters, Ayla and Julia Reed. The family would like to thank the incredible, loving, and compassionate staff at Sarah House. We are grateful for your caring support. We will miss you "Mom", "Grandma". A graveside ceremony will be held on Friday, January 25th at 11:00, at Santa Barbara Cemetery.