In memory of
David Wallace Maxwell
August 24, 1933 - January 31, 2026
David Wallace (Wally) Maxwell passed away peacefully on January 31, 2026. He was born in Ottawa to parents Roy and Kelly Maxwell and had one sibling, Joy. He was married to Kitty for 64 years, during which they had 5 children, David (Mary), Clare Ann, Tim (Karen), Rob (Cathy) and Brad (Kristin); 8 grandchildren, Allison, Kimberly, Kelsey, Kolin, Taylor, Alex, Siena and Kylie; and 2 great grandchildren, Helen and Max. All of whom loved and cherished him.
Wally’s early life involved frequent moves across Canada due to his father’s Air Force career. He had loving parents but those years were challenging at times due to his father’s limited mobility from polio and his mother’s three-year stay in a tuberculosis sanatorium. Throughout this period, he performed very well in school and focused on completing his chores, like stoking the fire before heading back out to attend practice for whichever sports team was in season.
Wally was a rookie with the Toronto Marlboros at the age of 17 and eventually became the team captain for 2 seasons with 42 goals and 74 points in his final season. He was called up by the Maple Leafs for 2 games but declined further NHL callups to retain his amateur status. He went on to play college hockey at the University of Michigan, where he was part of the National Championship team in 1956.
Wally met and married Katherine (Kitty) Bacholzky in Ann Arbor, where they established lifelong friendships. During their early years, they moved often and had 4 sons and 1 daughter (who passed away at a young age) before settling in a Toronto suburb. He was an executive at Ford and Xerox before an entrepreneurial career owning Suede Master. Wally was a devoted father who coached his sons in hockey and baseball, and a committed community leader, serving as a founding director of the Thornhill Community Center. He was unashamedly vocal in his pride for his sons and daughters-in-law. Grandchildren were the icing on the cake for them.
During over 30 years of retirement, Wally and Kitty traveled across North America to participate in all of the seminal events in their grandchildren’s lives. Together with a core group of lifelong friends and others they met along the way, they socialized their way around the world, visiting dozens of countries on 6 continents. It wasn’t a “happy hour” until Wally was telling an old or newfound friend about an experience they remembered fondly.
Throughout his life, Wally not only overcame challenges, he ran toward them. On his first hockey team, the coach put him in net because he wasn’t a strong skater. Safe to say, that didn’t last long. After being ruled ineligible by the NCAA (for signing a contract with the Leafs at the age of 15), he remained at Michigan, graduating with an engineering degree and MBA. Suede Master demanded more than Wally and Kitty ever expected but they persevered and along with putting 4 kids through college, they taught everyone life lessons. As Dementia slowly took Kitty’s life, Wally devoted every hour to being her full-time caregiver. But there was one challenge that he couldn’t overcome. After Kitty passed, he couldn’t find the same joy in life without her. It was sad to see someone as vibrant as Wally go through that but it was also a testament to the fact that unconditional love exists. Brad, Kristin and their family provided incredible support right to the end throughout this final challenge.
A celebration of life will be scheduled for later this year.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Cancer Research Society or the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of Wally Maxwell and in memory of Alex Maxwell.
Wally’s early life involved frequent moves across Canada due to his father’s Air Force career. He had loving parents but those years were challenging at times due to his father’s limited mobility from polio and his mother’s three-year stay in a tuberculosis sanatorium. Throughout this period, he performed very well in school and focused on completing his chores, like stoking the fire before heading back out to attend practice for whichever sports team was in season.
Wally was a rookie with the Toronto Marlboros at the age of 17 and eventually became the team captain for 2 seasons with 42 goals and 74 points in his final season. He was called up by the Maple Leafs for 2 games but declined further NHL callups to retain his amateur status. He went on to play college hockey at the University of Michigan, where he was part of the National Championship team in 1956.
Wally met and married Katherine (Kitty) Bacholzky in Ann Arbor, where they established lifelong friendships. During their early years, they moved often and had 4 sons and 1 daughter (who passed away at a young age) before settling in a Toronto suburb. He was an executive at Ford and Xerox before an entrepreneurial career owning Suede Master. Wally was a devoted father who coached his sons in hockey and baseball, and a committed community leader, serving as a founding director of the Thornhill Community Center. He was unashamedly vocal in his pride for his sons and daughters-in-law. Grandchildren were the icing on the cake for them.
During over 30 years of retirement, Wally and Kitty traveled across North America to participate in all of the seminal events in their grandchildren’s lives. Together with a core group of lifelong friends and others they met along the way, they socialized their way around the world, visiting dozens of countries on 6 continents. It wasn’t a “happy hour” until Wally was telling an old or newfound friend about an experience they remembered fondly.
Throughout his life, Wally not only overcame challenges, he ran toward them. On his first hockey team, the coach put him in net because he wasn’t a strong skater. Safe to say, that didn’t last long. After being ruled ineligible by the NCAA (for signing a contract with the Leafs at the age of 15), he remained at Michigan, graduating with an engineering degree and MBA. Suede Master demanded more than Wally and Kitty ever expected but they persevered and along with putting 4 kids through college, they taught everyone life lessons. As Dementia slowly took Kitty’s life, Wally devoted every hour to being her full-time caregiver. But there was one challenge that he couldn’t overcome. After Kitty passed, he couldn’t find the same joy in life without her. It was sad to see someone as vibrant as Wally go through that but it was also a testament to the fact that unconditional love exists. Brad, Kristin and their family provided incredible support right to the end throughout this final challenge.
A celebration of life will be scheduled for later this year.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Cancer Research Society or the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of Wally Maxwell and in memory of Alex Maxwell.