Maxine Reimer

Maxine passed away peacefully on February 13, 2026 at Melody Living in Lake in the Hills. She was born on January 26, 1933 to Max and Esther Reimer. She was the first of four children. Her early education was at St. Joseph School in Wilmette. After 8th grade she attended Mallinckrodt High School. At 16 she began to work as a telephone operator for AT&T, then Illinois Bell, in the Wilmette office. She continued as an operator in that office, in the Santa Monica, CA office, and in the Elgin office until her retirement at 60 years old. She was proud of her speed at the switchboard during all those years.

While working in the Wilmette office, she became a lifelong friend of Dolores Melzer and Rosemary Glas, sharing an apartment with each of them. Later, Maxine and Rosemary bought their first house in Elgin and then their second. In 2018, a few years after Rosemary’s death, Maxine chose to move to Brookdale Independent Living in Hoffman Estates. Needing more assistance, she spent her final years at Melody Living in Lake in the Hills.

Maxine and Rosemary went on several vacations all over the USA. When asked about these trips, Maxine always said that the best ones were the five to Hawaii.

Maxine was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers John (+Juanita) and Bill (+Lynn) and her brother in law Jim Petersen. She also deeply missed each of her dogs: Brandy, Nevaeh, and Lucy. She is survived by her sister Marlene Petersen, her nieces Chrissy Kraman, Cathy (Tyler) Reid, and Jamie Petersen, and her nephews Jon Petersen and Will (Michelle) Reimer.

She chose cremation, with burial next to her parents at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines.