Maxxine B Davis

Maxxine B. Davis Maxxine B. nee McAdoo Davis, passed away March 21, 2012, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was 87. A well known palm reader and astrologer and had enjoyed many years on local television, appearing yearly on WEWS Morning Exchange and Live at Five for over 10 years, during the 1970s and 1980s. She was also a frequent guest on several local radio stations, most notably Jeff and Flash at WMMS and usually appeared near Halloween. Born Jan. 18, 1925, in Youngwood, Pa., the family moved to Wellsville in 1930. Around 1937, her parents and the three older siblings formed the McAdoo Family Band. Maxxine was on the trumpet, her older brother, Billy played trombone, her younger sister, Eva was on the saxophone, while her mother, Margaret played piano and father, Oliver was on drums. She was picked by her father to write the harmonies and transpose the music for the band. Music ran in the family. Margaret's cousin, Al Klink, a jazz tenor saxophonist, played with Tex Beneke in the Glenn Miller Band. He's heard as a soloist on "In the Mood," and later with big band leaders Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey. In high school, she was a guard on the girls' basketball team and trumpet, first chair in band. Her nickname was "Harriett James," a take off of the popular trumpeter of the day, Harry James. Because of her talent, she was positioned to go to The Juilliard School in New York City. World War II broke out when she was a sophomore and Maxxine was often pulled out of class to play "Taps" at funerals for local soldiers who had been killed in the war. In November 1944, the war touched the family personally. Billy's plane crashed during a training session in Georgia and he was killed. Maxxine was devastated as the talented musician, who had won a Glenn Miller Sound-a-like contest a few years earlier and was groomed to be a band leader in his own right, would never play again. After graduation, Maxxine worked at Curtiss Wright in Beaver, Pa., as a heliarc welder for B-52 airplane propellers. She would be on the honor roll for the duration of her employment. In 1945, she married Joseph Davis and moved to Cleveland. She worked part-time at Scheufler's Drugs in Willoughby at Erieside Clinic and later as the night manager at Howard Johnson's restaurant in Willoughby Hills. In 1971, Joe introduced Maxxine to both astrology and palmistry and did it as a hobby. About a year and a half later, she was doing well enough to quit Howard Johnson's to make it her profession. It was through word of mouth that Maxxine built her business and attracted clients from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, and Africa. One client worked at WEWS in Cleveland and in 1980-1981, she appeared on The Morning Exchange with Fred Griffith, Joel Rose, and Jan Jones. She would become a regular for 10 years, also appearing on its afternoon sister show, Live at Five with Don Webster and Wilma Smith. Another client worked at WMMS and at her insistence, she appeared on the popular "Jeff and Flash" morning show. She returned several times, all increasing her popularity. She also appeared on WELW and The News-Herald interviewed her for a story in the 1970s. Maxxine retired from doing private readings in 2005. She enjoyed watching the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Browns, traveling, going out to eat with family and friends, bingo, reading, and playing her trumpet. Her mother, Margaret; father, Oliver; sisters, Doris Langenheim and Eva Kidder; brothers, Billy and Frederick; husband, Joseph; and brother-in-law, Tom Kidder, preceded her in death. She is survived by sons, Gordon Angie and Leslie Eva; daughter, Lisa; grandchildren, Isabelle, Stephanie, and Jayme Lee; five great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; sister, Leah O'Rourke Jim; brother, Kenny McAdoo Susan; and 12 nieces and nephews. Friends may celebrate her life from noon to 3 and 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the Monreal Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd., Eastlake. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to Lake County Meals on Wheels LCCOA.ORG. "To all the people who are mother's friends, she spoke of you all the time and she loved you a lot."

Maxxine B Davis

January 18, 1925 - March 21, 2012

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