Maxie Broaddus dies at age 49; Memorial service set for Jan. 9 at Meadow Event Park

 Memorial service set for Jan. 9 at Meadow Event Park

Thirty-three years of farming is far from long enough for a dedicated young man who began at the age of 16, but Maxie Broaddus, one of Caroline County’s most loved and successful citizens, died unexpectedly on Dec. 31 at the early age of 49. The cause was related to cardiac issues.With his hardy 6-foot-3-inch build, his death came as a shock to many.

Maxie and his brother Mike Broaddus were left to run their family farm when their father died of a heart attack at the age of 44. When Mike went away to Virginia Tech, Maxie took over the farming.

With hard work and determination he multiplied his land holdings, eventually leasing enough additional tracts to cultivate a total of over 7,000 acres in three counties.

He embraced new ideas, efficiency and technology, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who harvested with the first combine in Caroline County.

Though very serious about work, he loved children and always had time for them.

“He was good with kids,” said Mike Broaddus. “He was never too busy to stop and give a kid a ride on a combine or a tractor, even if it meant he had to work into the night.”

“Kids loved him back,” said his cousin, Mary Tod Haley Gray. “When my son Tom was about five years old, Maxie let him ride in the combine with him. After they finished a field Maxie gave him a handful of soybeans. Tom put them in his pocket, and he carried those soybeans around for almost a year.”

The graphics on his monster truck, “Walking Tall,” include the phrase, “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS.” He took the truck to a variety of events where children were present, even to some kids’ houses for birthday parties.

“Maxie had this unique ability,” said Mike Broaddus. “He could meet a stranger and in seconds they would feel like they had just met their best friend. If you knew him, you had a brother.”

Clayton Todd Beazley, a lifelong friend about a month older than Maxie, grew up with him.

“He was probably the strongest man I ever knew, not just physically, but also mentally,” Beazley said. “If somebody needed help, he would stop what he was doing and help them. In life you only have one or two friends that you know you can always call on, and they can always call on you. Maxie was my true friend. He loved my kids like they were his and I love his like they are mine.”

Doug Terry, field crop manager for Broaddus Farms, said, “He told me that when he put his feet on the floor every morning he knew that God was with him. His faith was why he was able to do the things he did.”

Maxie Broaddus was a member of Salem Baptist Church.

 

By CP Correspondent Kenneth Snow