Maxwell D Gawley

Max Gawley, 96, of Fort Gratiot, passed away peacefully on Friday, the twelfth of June, two thousand and twenty.

Max was born an American citizen in Saskatchewan, Canada on November 29, 1923, the son of Ruble and Andrew; and moved to the Corktown area of Detroit, Michigan when he was five years of age.

He is survived by his sisters, Alice and Yvonne; his grandsons, Kurt, Brett, Christian and Max; daughter in-law, Krysta; and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his son, Louis Gawley; wife, Betty; sisters, Cherie, Margaret and June; brothers, Thomas, Rodney and Elon; mother and father, Ruble and Andrew; and his former wife, Rosemary “Bodie”.

Max had a strong work-ethic his entire life: as a young boy of 14 he traveled throughout Michigan working with the County Fair. At 16, he stocked shelves at a Detroit five and dime and later retired from GM where he worked as a Master Pipefitter at Hyrdamatic for 40 years. Additionally, Max was skilled in union politics serving as a local representative with honor and integrity.

Max spent his 30-plus years of retirement fishing in remote Canadian villages and traveling. He enjoyed watching sports, especially Major League Baseball, and recalled seeing Babe Ruth hit his last home run at Ebbets Field, Lou Gehrig take himself out of the game, and Ted Williams hit 7 for 9 with three home runs after returning from the service.

In his later years, Max mostly loved watching horse racing with his track buddies. Once, while attending the Kentucky Derby as a young man, he saw Citation clinch the 1st of 3 races en route to winning the 1948 triple crown.

At the betting window, Max fancied the number 6. With his passing at the age of 96, not only did his horse come in, Max Gawley truly hit the Perfecta for a life well-lived. He will be missed by all that knew him.

Services will be announced at a later date.