They were married in 1938 and lived in Long Beach, where Franklin was working for Texaco. Maxine worked as a clerk for J. C. Penney Company in Long Beach until she had their first child, Tom, in 1939. Their daughter Mary was born in 1945.When the children arrived, Maxine stayed home to be a full time housewife and mother. She kept an immaculate house, was an excellent cook, and raised her children to be kind, respectful, dependable and helpful. Both children graduated from Long Beach State College with teaching degrees. Mary is presently a teacher, and Tom is managing tennis programs at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.After the children were grown, Maxine began to get arthritis. As time went on her joints became more and more painful, and she began to have surgery to replace her joints. After many surgeries Maxine fell and broke her femur, just above the newly replaced artificial knee. This led to her passing in November 2002.During their 64 years of marriage Franklin and Maxine were able to travel to Washington, D.C. to view all the buildings and monuments in our capital, and had their dream of a lifetime, a second honeymoon in Hawaii.
Maxine Cairns Estes, Class of 1935
January 24, 2003
Santa Paula High School
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By B. J. Harding, President, SPUHS Alumni Association
Biography #193 (Have you submitted yours?)Thomas M. Cairns was doing construction on the Mission Inn at Riverside in 1916 and met Elizabeth Gregg, who at the time was working as a waitress there. Love bloomed, the two were married at the Inn.The Cairns moved to wherever he could find construction work. Santa Maria, San Miguel, Guadalupe, San Francisco, Fort Bragg and Seattle were some of these places. It was while they were living in Seattle that their daughter Maxine (’35) was born. Six years later their second daughter Marguerite (’41) was born in Los Angeles.March of 1928 was a tragic time for the citizens of Santa Paula, but out of this tragedy came a construction contract for Thomas to come help rebuild Santa Paula. One of the houses he built on Sycamore Street is known to be still standing. He brought with him his wife and two daughters.The children went to Isbell grade school and our subject Maxine, who was a student of the violin, became acquainted with H. Peyton Johnson. With his guidance, Maxine became an accomplished violinist.When she got to SPUHS, Maxine was a member of the Spanish and International Clubs and, of course, a member of the orchestra. The 1935 High School Orchestra was composed of 36 advanced players and made several public appearances. It played for the Armistice Day program, the Festival of the Arts, the PTA, and several other public functions as called upon. Some of the members of this orchestra were Nita Kennedy, Louis Wagner, Anita Sharp, Artie May Johnson and Dana Teague.While in high school, Maxine met Franklin Estes (’34) at her church. They were both baptized the same day. Six years later they were married, and Franklin claims she was “a gift from God.”
