Maxwell Irving Gathings at 92 years of age passed away at 1:00 PM January 7, 2014 in Austin, Texas. His parents were Irving Benjamin Gathings and Willie Maxwell Gathings, now deceased. Maxwell was born August 10, 1921 in Covington, Texas and grew up in Johnson County, Texas. After graduating from Cleburne High School, Cleburne, Texas in 1939 he entered N.T.A.C. (Now University of Texas at Arlington) Arlington, Texas on a basketball scholarship. In March 1941 he wed his college sweetheart, Juanita Watkins, of Arlington. He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army Air Corp in World War II, 16 months of which was spent on Saipan in the Pacific with a B-29 Air Group. Following the war years, he finished his education at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas, graduating with BBA and MBA degrees. While there he served as president of Sigma Iota Epsilon, an honorary management society. Following college, he was employed by Container Corporation of America for 16 years. He worked for them in Fort Worth, Texas and Saint Paul, Minnesota. From there he joined Gulf States Paper Corporation and worked for them for 18 years, retiring in 1986 as V.P. Sales and Packaging Division, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 2006, after thirty years in Tuscaloosa, Max and Juanita moved back to Texas to spend more time with their children and grandchildren. Maxwell and his wife Juanita were married 72 years, loved golf and played many years around the country. Fishing was another passion of Maxs and he spent a good deal of his leisure time fishing the USA, Canada and the many rivers and lakes of Texas. He was a long time member of the Rio Vista Masonic Lodge #453 and also a 32nd Degree Mason, Valley of Dallas, Texas. Surviving are wife Juanita Watkins Gathings, son Max Gathings Jr. and wife Marilyn, daughter Nita Gathings Smolensky and husband Michael, grandsons Brian Burroughs and wife Stephanie and Guy Jordan Benjamin Gathings and wife Leighanna, granddaughters Melissa Smolensky and Susan Smolensky Knoll, great grandsons Benjamin Irving Gathings and Ethan Knoll, many cousins, nephews, nieces and longtime friends. Graveside services will be held January 11 at 2 p.m. at the Grange Hall Cemetery, Rio Vista, Texas. The family extends a welcome to join them for a traditional Masonic service and gathering afterwards to celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be sent to Rio Grange Cemetery Association (Grange Hall Cemetery), P.O. Box 592. Rio Vista, Texas 76093 or the Nolan River Masonic Lodge #453, P.O. Box 453, Rio Vista, Texas 76093 Service Graveside service Grange Hall Cemetery Rio Vista, TX 76093 Saturday, January 11, 2014 2:00 P.M. Interment Grange Hall Cemetery Rio Vista , TX Memorial Contributions Rio Grange Cemetery Association Grange Hall Cemetery PO Box 592 Rio Vista, TX 76093 Nolan River Masonic Lodge #453 PO Box 453 Rio Vista, TX 76093