Sidney Maxwell
Born: November 10, 1921
Married: John Maxwell, 1943
Children:
Ann Sidney Morehouse Maxwell (nèe Leitch) was born November 10, 1921. Her parents were divorced and her mother lived with Ruth Weed in Lake Placid, before she passed away in 1926. Ruth Weed was made Sidney's legal guardian. Her father remarried, and Sidney lived with them for several years until her father divorced again and she was sent back to Lake Placid to live with her "Aunt Ruth". They lived in Laurel Cottage at the Lake Placid Club, where Ruth was the bookkeeper. She lived next to her best friend, Natalie Jubin. She refers to Natalie’s mother as Auntie Rita, and Natalie’s father as Pop. Natalie and Sidney spent many afternoons dog sledding with Natalie's sled dog team. Sidney loved skiing and was later coached by Otto Schniebs. She said, "I had an absolutely wonderful childhood in the Village of Lake Placid." She remembers driving with her Aunt Ruth to see the Ice Palace in Saranac Lake every year.
Sidney graduated high school in 1939. She attended the University of Vermont where she was on the ski team. She transferred to University of Colorado, where she also skied. She met her husband John Maxwell during Christmas of 1942, and was married 1943 at St. Eustace’s. Sidney and John raised their four kids in Connecticut. They founded the Outdoor Sports Center which is still run by the family. In 1945, Sidney and John bought a camp in Wilmington which they visited often. John worked at Borden Co. in the Plywood/Particle board division where he sold glue. He then transferred to Borden’s Chemical department, before it shut down in 1985. In 1985, John retired and they both moved back to Lake Placid.
Listen to Sidney describe her childhood in Lake Placid for our Oral History Project, on [website].
Adriondack Daily Enterprise, April 9, 2022
Sidney L. Maxwell
On April 7, 2022, Sidney L. Maxwell passed on with her loving family surrounding her in Saranac Lake, within a few miles of where she was born on Nov. 10, 1921.
Born to Ruth Marilla Morhous Leitch and Albert Joseph Leitch, she was raised by her mother in Lake Placid until her mother's sudden death in 1928. She then lived with her father Albert, step mother Dorothy and half-brother Albert "Bert" Leitch in East Orange, New Jersey. In 1930, she returned to live in Lake Placid at the Lake Placid Club with her legal guardian Ruth B. Weed. She would always say growing up in Lake Placid was the perfect childhood. Sidney and her best friend Natalie Jubin were adventurers; skiing, hiking, wandering in the woods, and all things required to support Natalie's dream of having a sled dog team.
Sidney graduated from Lake Placid High School in 1939. She studied at the University of Vermont, then transferred to the architectural program at the University of Colorado in 1941. She often relayed that when she returned from Christmas break most of the men did not return to campus having instead enlisted to fight the war. During Christmas break she met a charming, handsome skier from Syracuse University who would become the love of her life. She first met John Maxwell while trying to retrieve his ski racers bib, having just completed his run and physically spent he was recovering lying on the snow. He described the moment as looking up and seeing an angel. The team coach, Otto Schniebs, said "for goodness sake let the man get his breath." They were married in Lake Placid at St. Eustace Episcopal Chrurch on May 8, 1943. They were honeymooners at Tuckerman ravine.
In 1945, they purchased "Camp" on Quaker Mountain in Wilmington. This became known as the Ski Hut; headquarters for friends and family over time. Happily, the many camp traditions will be carried on by her grandson Tim Maxwell and wife Kristin. She raised four children while living in Wallingford, Connecticut; Bainbridge, New York; Wilton, Connecticut; and Granville, Ohio. They started a small retail ski shop in their Wilton home, The Ski Hut which she grew into a local business and over time turning many residents into lifelong skiers.
Once the kids were grown, she was able to travel around the world accompanying John on his professional Borden Company work. They also enjoyed multiple trips out west to ski and to Norway and Sweden for cross-country ski adventures. They retired to Wilmington, building a wonderful log cabin. Over the years, Sidney enjoyed being in the woods identifying and understanding the natural worlds, especially springtime sugaring and summer ferns and flowers.
Under the tutelage of Dino Angelopoulos, her athletic trainer for more than a decade, she fine-tuned a shared passion for hockey, and in particular the Boston Bruins.
In her 90s, Sidney moved to the Saranac Village at Will Rogers, she considered her apartment there to be her "forever home," taking great pride in her surroundings. She took up coloring and "painted" many exquisite drawings. Many have been shared with her large circle of family and friends. Sidney especially enjoyed going on scenic drives where she shared her knowledge and love for the Adirondacks. Many thanks to all the Will Rogers staff and her aides for embracing Sidney in such a loving and supportive way. Making each and every day special.
In 2012, Sidney lost her loving husband John Walter Maxwell. She is survived by her son Thomas Maxwell, son John (Jack) Maxwell and his wife Linda; daughter Peggy Maxwell Duran Turner and husband Alfred Turner; grandchildren Timothy Maxwell and wife Kristin, Bradley Hess and wife Heather, Matthew Hess, Scott Maxwell and wife Abigail, William Maxwell and wife Tish, Desiray Duran, R.J. and Jenna Duran, Rico Duran, Jerome and Karla Duran. Sidney was also blessed with four great-granddaughters and ten great-grandsons.
We all feel blessed knowing that Sidney is at peace in her beloved Adirondacks.