Thayne Covert Maxfield, age 81, died on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at his home in Delta, Utah surrounded by his family. Thayne was born in Delta on January 14, 1938 to Arch and Lella Stapley Maxfield. He was the youngest of five boys.
His father leased a ranch in Spring Valley, Nevada and then the Granite Ranch, by Trout Creek, Utah. During his school years he would come to Delta, living with his grandparents and attending Delta High School. His favorite sport was baseball. He was the catcher. His trick was making the batters nervous by playing extra close. Thayne loved to be on the ranch and he loved the desert. He was a very good mechanic. He could fix cars, trucks, or the machinery on the ranch. While on the ranch he had a horse called Pat, and a dog named Sib, which he loved. He went to one quarter of college, but he couldn’t get the desert out of his blood; so he returned to help his dad on the ranch.
In 1958, he met a girl at a dance and his heart was swept away. He married Erma Jean Bates on June 18, 1962 in Ely, Nevada. They were later sealed in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on October 6, 1966. Their marriage was blessed with six children, one dying at 5 weeks. He moved off the ranch when the lease was up and moved to the Salt Lake area where he worked in various jobs. He then went to work as a truck driver, and drove truck until he was almost 80. He retired in December 2017. On December 16, 2018, he suffered a massive stroke. After an eight month struggle, not being able to walk or talk, he finally peacefully passed away.
Thayne is survived by his wife of 57 years: Erma; sons: Shawn and Kean Maxfield, both of Delta; daughters: Angie McElroy of Louisiana; Tracy Benson and Jolene Fritzges, both of Delta; brothers: Garff and Dwight, both from the Salt Lake area; 14 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers: Blair and Kean; daughter: Tonya Jean; and grandson: Brandon Allen McElroy.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, September 4, 11:00 am, at the Delta 3rd Ward LDS Chapel, 197 South 300 West. A Viewing will be held on Wednesday, 9:00-10:40 am, prior to the service. Burial will be in the Delta City Cemetery.