February 11, 1923 - November 29, 2024
Maxine Grace (Ryser) Edes passed away peacefully on November 29, 2024, leaving this world as a centenarian and a member of two families that put down roots and created a wonderful legacy in Morgan Hill over generations.
In 1925, two-year-old Maxine arrived in the small town of Morgan Hill with her sister June and her parents Ruby and Ted Ryser from Willamette, Oregon. The Rysers managed a prune and walnut ranch located at the corner of Diana Avenue and Hill Road until 1929 when Ted was hired by the City of Morgan Hill to serve as City Engineer and Fire Chief.
That same year, Ted and Ruby purchased a 3-acre property on the west side of Monterey Road north of Spring Avenue. Like many Morgan Hill families during the Great Depression, they raised cows, chickens, pigs, geese and ducks. They sold eggs for 10 cents a dozen, milk for 10 cents a quart, and ducks, plucked and cleaned, for a dollar each. June and Maxine helped their mom with chores, and when there was free time, they rode their bikes a few blocks into town for some Cherry Cokes.
Maxine attended elementary school at the Morgan Hill Grange Hall and Morgan Hill Elementary School, followed by Live Oak High School where she graduated in 1941. During high school she enjoyed playing piano in the school’s dance band, which performed regularly at the Friendly Inn.
Maxine also met her future husband, George “Buzz” Edes, at Live Oak. As the family story goes, Maxine instinctively knew that “he was the one” the first time they met. George’s predecessors in the Edes family had established Morgan Hill’s first newspaper, served as its postmaster, and contributed to the local economy as owners and operators of Edes Hardware and other local businesses.
After high school, Maxine attended beauty college in San Jose where she partnered in a beauty shop business before opening her own shop in her parents’ Morgan Hill home.
Buzz and Maxine married in 1945, shortly after his service in the US Navy. She continued working at the beauty shop in her parents’ house while the couple rented a place on Del Monte Avenue.
It was there that their daughter Christine (Christy) and son Timothy (Tim) were born. In 1952, the couple moved their family into a new house they had built, complete with a beauty shop, on John Telfer Drive. Maxine worked in that beauty shop until she retired in 1985. She developed a loyal clientele, according to her son Tim, not only because she was good at what she did, but also because whatever was said in the beauty shop stayed in the beauty shop!
Maxine was known for her cheerful disposition, incredibly sharp memory, and great love for her family. She will be remembered with fondness by many long-time Morgan Hill residents.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Maxine for Stories from the Past 2015. We also interviewed her son Tim Edes, now a board member with the Morgan Hill Historical Society, for Stories from the Past 2023.
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