- April 23, 2024
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Leslie Every and Donna Maxwell stand in front of the submerged pier and boat dock at Cassen Park. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The inscription on Mary Maxwell's memorial bench. Photo courtesy of Donna Maxwell
A photo of a young Mary Maxwell. “She was the best mother anyone could have ever had," Donna Maxwell said. "She definitely raised me with great morals and she was always a good mom.” Photo courtesy of Donna Maxwell
Mary Maxwell's memorial bench was found by Leslie Every intact facing traffic on the side of N. Beach Street. Photo courtesy of Donna Maxwell
Donna Maxwell and her niece Isabella visited Mary Maxwell's memorial bench on Mother's Day this year. Photo courtesy of Donna Maxwell
Jon Pennett rescued Mary Maxwell's bench from the piece of pier that floated into his property. Photo courtesy of Jon Pennett
When Leslie Every saw a bench facing Beach Street, she slowed her vehicle to a full stop.
She pointed to it, rolled down the window on the passenger side where her fellow EMT sat and asked him what it said. She saw the last name "Maxwell" and she was instantly awestruck. After parking the truck, Every walked over to the bench and confirmed that the bench was indeed her fiancé's grandmother's memorial that used to sit on the destroyed pier at Cassen Park.
Every snapped a photo of the bench and immediately sent it to her future mother-in-law. Her text read "I found it."
“What are the odds of me finding this thing?” Every said.
After Hurricane Irma, many of the benches that used to line the pier went missing. This is one of the few that have been recovered. Mary Maxwell's memorial bench was found by her grandson's fiancé on the side of N. Beach Street between Dix Avenue and Highland Avenue.
“I know my mother was sitting there watching traffic go by,” said Donna Maxwell, Mary Maxwell's daughter.
The bench was facing the road, with the Halifax River in the background, completely intact.
“My mother would’ve done that," Maxwell said. "My mother would’ve sat on a bench and watched life go by because she loved it. She loved peace.”
Mary Maxwell died unexpectedly at 69 on Aug, 6, 2014, after falling and hitting her head at the assisted living facility she resided in. She was never taken to the hospital and bled out due to her injury. Her daughter decided to honor her mother's memory by buying a memorial bench at Cassen Park's pier.
Her memorial bench faced the Halifax River, a nod to her since she lived down the river in Daytona Beach for many years. Maxwell said her mother loved to sit and watch the river.
“I picked here so it would face the sun coming up every morning," Maxwell said.
“Finally it was something positive, and there had been nothing positive."
Donna Maxwell
Maxwell and her brother, William Maxwell, decided on a memorial bench because it would allow their family a place to remember her that was peaceful and not as somber as a cemetery.
“She was free-spirited, but she also was probably the kindest person I’ve ever met in my life and any of her friends would tell you that," Maxwell said.
Her bench reads "Loved Mother, Cherished Friend, Beautiful Butterfly" with an outline of a butterfly beside the word.
“She told Mikey that if he ever saw a butterfly, that was her,” Every said.
Mikey is Maxwell's son and Every's fiancé. Every said that no one driving past the bench on N. Beach Street could have understood what it meant.
Their family had been going through some rough times, Maxwell said. Her father passed away earlier this year, and then the hurricane came and blew away her mother's bench. Since it had gone missing, Maxwell said she couldn't sleep at night and that she was having nightmares.
When Every found the bench though, things started looking up.
“Finally it was something positive, and there had been nothing positive," Maxwell said.
As for how the bench was brought ashore, Ormond Beach resident Jon Pennett posted a photo of him with the bench shortly after the
hurricane on the Ormond Beach Observer Facebook page. He said the photo was taken just before he unscrewed it and brought it in from the water. Pennett found the piece of the pier with the bench in his yard after the morning after the hurricane and secured it to his dock until the winds died down.
"I just figured it was obviously important to someone," said Pennett in a Facebook message. "I would have saved more of them if I could."
Both Maxwell and Every expressed the relief they felt when they were able to retrieve the memorial bench. Maxwell said the event has given the family peace and joy, and that she's slept well every night since.
“It was like, she’s okay," Maxwell said.
She also said it's ironic that Every was the one to find the bench, especially since her job usually doesn't bring her to Ormond Beach.
“She’s fixing to be my family," Maxwell said. "She’s going to be my daughter-in-law, and it’s so awesome my daughter-in-law-to-be found my mom’s bench.”
“She told Mikey that if he ever saw a butterfly, that was her."
Leslie Every
The night Every found the bench, Maxwell had about 17 missed calls and texts on her phone after she got off work. Thinking it was a family emergency and that something was wrong, she called her son immediately.
At around 9:30 p.m., Every helped her load the heavy bench in her truck. They wanted to make sure that the bench would be safe — losing it again was not an option.
The next day, Maxwell contacted Ormond Beach Leisure Services, who were also happy one of the memorial benches was found. They picked it up the following day, and Mary Maxwell's memorial bench will be stored away safely by the city until the pier is rebuilt.
Once it is, the bench will be placed in the exact same spot it used to sit, and Maxwell and her family will be able to spend some more time with grandma.
“She was the best mother anyone could have ever had," Maxwell said. "She definitely raised me with great morals and she was always a good mom.”
