Maxine Drost-Benedetti

Maxine Drost-Benedetti

After a long and resolute life Maxine left us on May 11, 2026, just a few days shy of her 103rd birthday. Daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she led a life devoted to her family, the Jewish community of Tacoma, and to the principles of justice and righteousness everywhere.

Born on May 20, 1923 to Max Benson and Lina Tone, she spent the first six years of her life with her mother in Tacoma before moving to Portland to be raised by her father’s family. Her father’s sister Irene provided the stable and principled foundation that would help guide and sustain Maxine throughout her life.

Maxine graduated from Grant High School in 1942 during the advent of the second World War, and after attending Reed College for one year, she moved to San Francisco. She found work with a shipping company and proceeded to experience the thrilling freedom of young adulthood against the backdrop of a world at war. In later years, she would often reflect on this period as one of great contrast between the beauty and exhilaration of San Francisco with the horror and tragedy of the war.

Returning to Tacoma she reunited with her mother, and was eventually introduced to Albert Lee Drost by her cousin Arthur Sohn. Maxine and Al were married on October 4th, 1947 at Temple Beth Israel in Tacoma. She would go on to have three children, Mark, Lisa, and Paul, and in time would become a grandmother of three; Max, Rebecca, and Matthew, and later great-grandmother to two, Charlie and Josie, all of whom gave her years of pleasure. She was also a beloved auntie to her nieces and nephew.

Settling into family life, Maxine relished her role as a mother. Determined to raise her children in the Jewish faith after the conclusion of the war, she saw them consecrated into Judaism, and ensured they received a thorough Jewish education through Bar Mitzvah and confirmation at Temple Beth El.

As her children matured into adulthood, Maxine wished to continue a productive life and turned her energy and intelligence to a career at the Comprehensive Employment Program with the City of Tacoma. Admired and held in great affection by her supervisors and colleagues, she continued in this role until her retirement. Maxine was also an avid and formidable bridge player, and followed the stock market closely until her 100th birthday.

Maxine found love and a second marriage with Aldo Benedetti in 1987. They enjoyed 26 years of love and companionship, and shared their life with family and many friends. They both enjoyed music and dancing, and The Great American songbook formed the backdrop of their lives. Traveling around the world together, they always looked forward to returning to her beach home on Hood Canal where they spent their happiest of times together.

Throughout her life, Maxine was a model of courage and responsibility, instilling in her children a love of justice, tolerance, and human decency. We who survive her will carry her spirit with us forever, and try as she always did to make the world better in her memory. Funeral services have been held at Home of Peace Cemetery in Lakewood.