Max was born in France on Jan. 26, 1930, the eldest of five sons. His father Hermann was Swiss & his mother Marianne was from Poland. When Max was 2, they moved to Basel, Switzerland, & he resided there until he was 18. The war years were very hard on the family, so when his uncle Joey invited him to come to the States, it was a wonderful opportunity.

First Max joined the USAF, & had one active year, & 6 in the Reserves. He began work at J.P. Stevens, going to textile school, becoming a technician, then advancing to a manager, to a sales Rep, & finally to a sales executive, all in a matter of 5 years. But when he developed an ulcer, he knew this wasn't for him, & resigned. He ended up in San Francisco where he attended a deep-sea diving school, & out of that training, got jobs in New Orleans & Miami doing undersea demolition work & working on a drilling platform.

The next chapter of his life took him back to CA, where he worked at a Post Office for a while, applied to the Sheriff Dept. & was hired. But then came the big opportunity - TWA was hiring Pursers & Flight Attendants. Thus began a very happy & exciting career, from 1959 to 1984. His favorite route was flying the Pacific, from LAX to Hawaii. He loved flying, & got his private pilot's license, & became an instructor. When furloughed, he worked in TWA Management, hiring Flight Attendants. While living in Seattle, he

enjoyed flying sea planes.

During the Vietnam War, he joined the Military Airlift Command as a purser, carrying soldiers back & forth to Saigon. He flew 35 missions.

After that, TWA asked him to hire & train flight attendants for Saudi Arabian airlines, which he did for 2 years. He did not like it there & couldn't wait to get home.

In 1970, the 747s came out, & he became a Flight Service Manager, flying all over Europe. In 1975, it was there he met Nancy, who was also working the charter flight. They married in 1977 & had their son Chris in 1981. They settled in Frazier Park, where they retired. When living in Sebastopol, he drove cars for Hertz - he loved to drive. Max & Nancy ended up in Arcata to be near her mother & sister, & then down to Fallbrook, to be closer to the grandchildren. During their retirement, they enjoyed cruises to Alaska & Hawaii, & a tour to Costa Rica. This past year they went on whale watching tours out of Oceanside and had a wonderful time.

Max was a man of deep faith & had a special devotion to Our Blessed Mother. He was a lector & Eucharistic Minister for many years, & also enjoyed being a driver for retired priests. He had many interests, flying, boating, playing chess, & in later years, alternative health, & nutrition. He rejoiced when Chris married Erica, & even more with the births of Caroline & Michaela. They gave him so much joy.

In lieu of flowers, donations made be made to Father Joe's Villages.