Resident Spotlight

Maxine Tyler Constable

Maxine Tyler Constable was born in Prosser, Washington, on November 14, 1919, the seventh of twelve children of Walter Ellsworth Tyler and Minnie Frances Roylance. Walter, besides being a talented band musician, was a newspaper publisher and printer. Minnie was born and raised in Springville, Utah, a descendant of early LDS settlers. Her grandmother’s family had come from England in 1856 and joined the Martin Handcart Company to unite with the Saints in Utah. Minnie’s grandmother suffered terrible hardships, including the death of her husband and baby on the same day while being trapped in winter snows during the journey.

In 1933 during the Great Depression, Maxine’s family moved to Napa, California, where her beloved mother passed away three years later. Maxine was only 16, and the family lost their father the following year. The children split up, and the five younger ones went to live with the older, married ones in Washington. Maxine had been living with and working as a nanny for a neighboring family since the age of 15, so she decided to stay in Napa to finish high school. After graduation she attended secretarial school and was working as a bookkeeper at the Calif. Veterans Home in nearby Yountville when her girlfriend introduced her to the nephew of her sister’s husband. He was a handsome young man named Harold Constable. After a year of courtship, Harold and Maxine married in 1940.

They made their home in Napa where they raised three daughters. Harold began a machinist apprenticeship at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo and Maxine continued working at the Veterans Home until 1942, when their first daughter, Carole, was born. When World War II began, Harold received deferments due to defense work, but was called into the army and sent to Europe in 1944. A month before his induction, he was baptized into the LDS Church. After his discharge in 1946, he went back to work at Mare Island and built a home for the family in his spare time. Their daughter Leslie was born in 1947, and in 1950 their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. Their youngest daughter Sara was born in 1951.

Harold and Maxine became very active in the Church, including being Stake Missionaries. While raising their girls, Maxine worked in Relief Society: as President, on the Stake Board, and teaching a literature class. She got the family history “bug” in 1958 and started work with the Genealogy Committee. Family research became a lifelong joy for her. She returned to work as a part-time bookkeeper in a department store in 1961, then began working at Napa State Hospital in the medical records department in 1965. Meanwhile Harold had several promotions at Mare Island and became an “Analyst and Scheduler,” overseeing work on nuclear submarines. They both retired in 1970, moving to a desert mobile home retirement community in Apache Junction, Arizona near Maxine’s sister and husband. During their five years there, they bought a rustic 1920’s Sierra Mountain cabin from relatives for a summer home. It was located in a unique setting 20 miles west of South Lake Tahoe in the El Dorado National Forest. Hidden on the side of a mountain canyon overlooking a roaring American River and next to a creek-side waterfall, it was a place of tranquility and spiritual renewal. The couple enjoyed hosting friends and relatives there for many years.

In 1976 Harold and Maxine moved back to northern California and Harold built a house of their own design in the Sierra foothills near Placerville. While there, they went on a full-time mission to St. Louis, Missouri, which was an inspiring experience. They also worked side-by-side in the LDS Spanish Extraction Program, combing through microfiche for genealogical information. In 1988 Maxine compiled heirloom photos, life stories and other written documents of her family history. With computer help from daughter Sara, she self-published a hardbound book, “Our Tyler Heritage,” for family.

After 18 years in Placerville, Harold and Maxine moved back to Napa to be near daughter Carole and husband. Carole’s husband passed away in 2006, and with Harold’s health failing, all three moved to Provo to be near Carole’s two daughters and their families. Harold and Maxine moved into the Courtyard in 2007. After 68 years of marriage, Harold passed away in 2008.

Maxine has enjoyed her life at the Courtyard, making friends and attending lectures, concerts, and dance programs. She has also enjoyed great food! She has given two family history research presentations here, and throughout her life, she has inspired many others to record their own life-stories. She is proud to have encouraged her daughters’ talents in art and dance as well as their educational pursuits. She is also proud of her four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Quite a family history yet to unfold!