Jeannette Magdaline Maki

Jeannette Magdaline Maki was born in Libby on Oct. 22, 1940, and passed away Feb. 21, 2022.

Her birth parents were Hazel and Thomas Baxter. They divorced when she was a baby and her mother remarried James Bonner Sanders, whom she recognized as her father. She was so happy to be a big sister when her little brother, Doug Sanders, was born.

She loved her family and was very close to her extended family. She is the namesake of her grandmother, Jeannette Halsey, with whom she was very close and spent a lot of time with. She made sure her children got to know and spend time with their great-grandma Jeannette.

She also dearly loved her aunts and uncles and other extended family. She told stories of the times she spent with them.

To her contemporaries and family, she was known as Nin or Gabby for her sociable chatter at school. Jeannette would often share stories of her childhood in Libby, of times when she repeatedly get lost on the walk home from school or piano lessons. She also recounted the times she and her pals rode horses all over Libby. She fondly recalled her adventures with her Girl Scout troop. In later years, she would replicate her experiences by having “Cousins Camp” with all the grandchildren.

Jeannette would tell of a dashing young airman who was stationed at the U.S. Air Force installation in the Yaak. She joked that Terry was born and raised in the small town of Columbus, so he joined the Air Force to see the world and ended up in the Yaak.

Terry would tell of the first time he laid eyes on Jeannette. He was a passenger in the front seat of a car driven by a fellow airman. As Jeannette walked on the side of the street with her friends, he jumped into the backseat. Looking out the rear window, he proclaimed, “I’m going to marry her someday.”

And from that day on, he was on a mission to meet his future wife. He saw her again at the Blue Bear and they quickly became inseparable. They married on June 1, 1958, and became parents to four beautiful children: Michelle, Suzy, Terry and Wayne. She loved her role as a stay-at-home mother and wife. Later in life, she became a devoted grandmother and would unselfishly travel to the ends of the earth to visit them all.

To her children and grandchildren, she was affectionately called Drad, because when her oldest grandson, Mitch Hartly, was first learning to speak, he couldn’t pronounce grandma. He called her “Drad” and it stuck. Mitch also called Grandpa Terry “Powp” and the rest is history. It seemed like everyone knew Jeannette and Terry as Powp and Drad and they loved it! They proudly referred to themselves as Powp and Drad.

She relished the role as grandma and her young grandchildren helped heal a broken heart. She lost her 9-year-old son Wayne the summer of 1982 and she held her grandchildren and later her great-grandchildren close to her.

She was full of life and loved spending time with grandkids. One of her granddaughters affectionately told her that she was one hip grandma!

Her daughters said she was “Libby’s own Martha Stewart” as she had a simple elegance in the way she carried herself. It was evident in her home, her style of dress and the way she carried herself. She loved walking the grounds of her beautiful mountain home, as she called it. She loved making her own wreaths, ornaments and bouquets to decorate her home. She loved to bake and delighted in making home cooked meals for friends and family. Her idea of a good time was to throw dinner parties and have missionary meetings.

In later life, she reconnected with her birth father and discovered she had a half-sister living in California. She quickly reached out to her and they built a sisterly bond.

She kept a lovely home for her family and she also helped Terry with their business. They were partners in every sense of the word and they were a good balance for one another.

Both Terry and Jeannette served in their church and for many years they were involved in teaching and serving the youth. Many have come back to visit them to let them know what a powerful influence they were in their lives. It touched and humbled them.

Jeannette kept lasting relationships with family, friends and neighbors and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Thank you to all who have reached out and extended support. A memorial service was held March 5, 2022, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.