Janet Patricia Burns Maxim

In recent years, every conversation with Janet Patricia Burns Maxim ended with “love, love, love!” And this stayed true to the end–love is all her family felt when she peacefully passed on Friday, August 21, 2026 at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Originally from Augusta, Maine, Janet moved to Concord, North Carolina 21 years ago with her husband, Howard, whom she called “Honeybun.”

Janet was born to the late Ernest Chester Burns and Lydia Mary Roy Burns on November 24, 1932, and lived her life devoted to her family. From helping raise her younger brother, Jimmy, at the age of 14 to marrying and starting a family with her high school sweetheart, Howard, at 19, she stood as the matriarch of a loud, sometimes chaotic, but always close-knit family. Known in her yearbook as “the cute little girl who has not only a sparkle in her eye but also one on her finger,” Janet graduated from Cony High School in 1951 and married her husband just months later in September. As they grew their family, she worked as a secretary at Central Maine Power and later as a laundress at Maxim’s Laundromat with her sister-in-law.

In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her husband, Howard; daughter, Barbara; great-granddaughter, Vada-Leigh; and brothers Robert and Jimmy.

She’ll be held closely and remembered by her family, including her son, R. Michael Maxim of Augusta, ME; son, Scott E. Maxim and wife Teresa of Harrisburg, NC; grandchildren, Jason Maxim (Cindee); Molly Kimball (Patrick); Erica Maxim; Megan Peaslee (Ron); Abigail Maxim; great grandchildren, Keegan Maxim, Dirigo Peaslee, Haven Peaslee; sister-in-law Sue Maxim; caretaker Gretta Spencer; and special family friend Melissa Mann.

Janet found her greatest joy in watching her children, grandchildren, and later her great-grandchildren grow and succeed. In many ways, she was more than a grandparent to them–in the Maxim family, “Grammy” meant just as much as “Mom.” Throughout it all, she and Howard maintained a steadfast and adoring partnership for more than 74 years, a fact she was always quick to remind others–and him–about.

Over the years, there were so many who were lucky enough to call Janet their friend, for she made them wherever she went. From befriending waitresses at restaurants to becoming her nurses’ and caregivers’ favorite patient, creating a community came easy for her. It wasn’t something she did on purpose–she simply drew you in and never let you go. Her family will also remember her for her love of Harlequin Westerns; Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand; Circus peanuts (she and Howard were perhaps the only people in the world who loved them), and sports. A born-and-raised Boston sports fan, she rarely missed a Red Sox or Patriots game. And through her son, Scott, she learned to love NASCAR as much as any southerner. Although life hadn’t been easy for her in recent years, she still radiated with a love for life. For her, living was about dancing in the kitchen, shucking corn with the great-grandkids, and the sound of her cat’s purr at her feet.

In her memory, her family would request you pour yourself a glass of red wine. Memorials for Janet may be made to Speedway Children’s Ministry, Atrium Health Hospice and Palliative Care, or your local animal shelter.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Maxim family.