We are devstated to hear of Dr. Maxwell's death. He cared for our variety of pets for the past 15 years and was an incredible professional and caring person. I'll never forget how he took time out of his busy practice to help us many years ago. I was a mother of two young toddlers, plus was caring for an extended family (a total of 8), with multiple pets. With two toddlers in hand I had to make repeated trips with only one or two pets at a time, which was incredibly hard to do at that time in my life. He graciously offered to come out to our "hobby farm" and provide care for all six of our domestic pets at one time, which was such a wonderful and caring thing to do. Over the years he has taken time to provide oustanding care, as well as advice over the phone, and always went "above and beyond" to help. We are truly saddened by your loss. We will keep him in our hearts for many years, and will keep your family in our prayers. Sincerely, The Green Family, of Dinwiddie, VA - Arthur, Lee, Adriana, & Alyssa, plus Sassy, Blackie II, Lillie, and Ty, and many other pets no longer with us, but all of whom loved Dr. Maxwell.

I wanted to add my thoughts and prayers both for the family and staff. I had no idea until I got off the phone with Kristy, just now. He was a wonderful vet, helping me to look after my dysplastic Rott, and my infant puppy that I acquired on a vacation. He will be sorely missed.

The Dexter Tribe

Joyce and family:

When I heard of Dr. Maxwell's death I was in complete shock. I had been at the clinic only 2 days before! I am so grateful that I saw him that day! He has been caring for my pets for over 10 years, and always did so with such kindness towards both them and me. All 4 of my current pets came from him, either directly or indirectly. I can't tell you how many times I'd call with the latest crisis, and ask if I needed to bring the animal in. He always said, "No, try this first. If it doesn't work, then bring her in." The best example I have of his kindness occurred last July. One Sunday morning it became clear to me that one of my dogs needed to be euthanized, and that it couldn't wait until the next day. Dr. Maxwell hopped in his truck and drove to Chester to take care of Onyx one last time. He ended her suffering with such compassion, and was so kind to me. He will be the vet against whom I will measure all future vets.

You are in prayers. May God grant you peace and solace at this time of sorrow. I Know that Dr. Maxwell is heaven now, covered in kisses from all the animals he cared for so deeply.

To the Family and Staff Of Dr Maxwell,
We will miss Dr Maxwell so very much, he was such a kind and caring person and a wonderful Dr. I know that our Buster and Lelu will miss him.
May god bless each one of you during this time and give you each comfort and peace....
God Bless you
Terry & Herbert Tatum, Hopewell, Va

To Dr. Maxwell's family and Staff of The Hopewell Animal Hospital,
We are deeply saddened and in disbelief over the loss of Dr. Maxwell. He was a great veternarian and a kind and compassionate person. We've known him for over 20 years as he and the staff of the hospital took care of our two dogs, Snuggles and now Spencer. Dr. Maxwell always took time to chat and explain in detail the problems our pets had. He cared for them as if they were his own. He was able to give Snuggles and extra 6 months to live and during her last month, she needed fluids everyday, which included Christmas day and Dr. Maxwell was right there at the hospital to take care of her. He, Dr. Harrison and all the staff have always been there for us. We will miss Dr. Maxwell so much and are thankful that we had the opportunity to know such a wonderful doctor and person. God bless his family during this time and in the days ahead.

Dear Joyce and family,
I am so sorry to hear about Steve. I am thinking of you at this most difficult time and you are all in my prayers.
May God Bless you and give you peace.

My mother and I were shocked and saddened to hear about Dr. Maxwell's passing. My mother had been been a client of his for nearly 30 years. During that time, she had several cats that Dr. Maxwell lovingly took care of for her. This was especially true of her special siamese cat, "Sam", that she had for 17 years, before Dr. Maxwell sadly had to put him down in 2004. Sam stayed sick a lot during his lifetime, but each time Dr. Maxwell was there to get him well again.

We last saw Dr. Maxwell in April, after he de-clawed my mother's latest cat, "Violet", which she had adopted from his animal hospital in 2005. He called my Mom and talked to her after Violet's surgery because he thought she might have been a little upset. That was the last time she talked to him. Dr. Maxwell will be greatly missed by all.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a wonderful and kind man. Our prayers are with his family.
Tamara and Keith Hayes

Dear Joyce,Susan,Sarah and Dan, From years ago from preschool, the Chester YMCA and crossing paths from time to time, Katie and I would like to express our deepest heartfelt sympathy. You will be in our prayers.

To all of the staff at Hopewell Animal Hospital and the family of Dr. Maxwell

My husband and I were shocked at the passing of Dr. Maxwell. He has cared for our four poodles like they were his own. One of my poodles broke his leg and Dr. Maxwell operated on him and splinted him up and he became as good as new. Dr. Maxwell was one of the older generation vets who did everything himself instead of shipping them off to a specialist. A specialist is fine if you can afford them but Dr. Maxwell is far better than any specialist you could have. He will truly be missed but my husband and I are glad we got to know him. Dr. Maxwell was a very compasionate man with his animals and you could tell his love of them.

Our prayers to the family for their loss and may God be with you.

We have just left Dr. Maxwell's Veterinary Hospital where we had to have our little 17 year old dog put to sleep. This has been a very sad day and now to learn that Dr. Maxwell, too, has passed. We have had our pets in his care since he took over the practice from Dr. Shulhoff years ago and he has been a loving, concerned and caring doctor to them. This is such a shock as I was also just in there Monday, June 30, when he clipped my Cockatiels nails. I am so very thankful that I was able to see him so close to his passing and we extend our very deepest sympathy to the family, friends, Dr. Harrison & all of the dedicated staff at the hospital. We will send a memorial contribution in Dr. Maxwell's name to the SPCA since that was the charity of his choice. I can't begin to imagine going in the vet's and not seeing Dr. Maxwell. Please accept our heartfelt sympathy for his untimely loss. We now have 2 to grieve for today. Christain love, Susan & Carl Mason

Words cannot express the loss of Dr. Maxwell, he was a great vet and a true friend. He has taken care of our pets now for a long time. We will truly miss him. Our thoughts go out to the family at his home and his "family" at work. We are so very sorry. I agree, he will meet his "patients" at the 'RAINBOW BRIDGE" .

To the Family of Dr. Maxwell, and to the Staff at Hopewell Animal Hospital:

Each and every one of us at the Hopewell Humane Society would like to express our sincere sympathy and heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Maxwell's family and extended family at this time. The Loss of Dr. Maxwell will be felt in our community and especially our organization for many years to come. Over the years we have all grown to know Dr. Maxwell and have considered him a true friend and supporter of our animals.

We can only imagine how many lives (both human AND animal) he has touched over the years.

It is also with great humility that we thank you for remembering our cause and the animals in our care at this time.

Dr. Maxwell will be truly missed....

Dear Mrs. Maxwell and family
We wish to send our heart felt sympathy to you and your family. Steve will be missed by us all. I may have worked for him as a relief veterinarian for a short time but he always made me feel welcome and part of his team even after I had left the practice. Please know that you are all in my prayers
Our deepest sympathy
Shirley and Bill Bunting and all of us at Centralia Animal Hospital

We are deeply saddended to hear of this tragic loss. Dr. Maxwell was such an incredible man. His spirit of love and good will will be dearly missed. Our prayers go out to his devoted wife, children and grandchildren who are mourning the loss of an incredible man.

With Saddness,
Dennis and Chelle Sullivan

Dan and I were shocked to hear of the death of Dr. Maxwell. Not only was he our vet, but we considered him a good friend. He was a very caring, compassionate person not only to our pets; but also to us. We are thankful for his skill as a vet and thankful that we had a chance to know him. We will miss him! Our love and prayers to Mrs. Maxwell and the rest of the family.

Words cannot express the loss of such a wonderful man, humanatarian, and employer. All of his employees are sharing the grief of such a sudden passing. We had such a good time with him the day before. He was happy and jovial. I will remember all the years I have spent with him. Our loss will be great and difficult for us to deal with. He was always willing to help anyway that he could, and never said no to anyone. He always took care of the animals with no questions asked. He just did what needed to be done. We all loved him very much and would do anything for him as he did for us without question. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time.

To the Family and Staff of Hopewell Animal Hospital:

We are deeply saddened and hurt by the passing of Dr. Maxwell. We had just seen him Monday when we had an appointment for our cat, Casper, who Dr. Maxwell had just performed complex surgery on 3 weeks before. He informed us at that time that the surgery he did on her probably saved her life. We are so grateful to still have Casper in our lives.

Dr. Maxwell has been our vet for many a year. We trusted him completely and without question. He was such a kind, compassionate, loving and understanding person; to the pet owners as well as their pets.

I am so glad now that the last thing I did when leaving Monday was shake his hand as that was the last contact we had on this earthly plane.

I know that there will be a lot of rejoicing animals and pet owners that have passed on that will be meeting Dr. Maxwell at the Rainbow Bridge.

He will be sorely missed by us all . . . .

Gerald, Carolyn, and Mandy Harrison

Our Pets: Rajah (Raj), Casper, Mishka, Weefuls, and Banshee

Dan, Joyce, Susan, Sarah & Family,

I'm so sorry to hear about your great loss. I loved your dad very much. He was such a sweat and giving person with a sense of humor like no other. There is no doubt to anyone he love you all very much. Every time I think of him I picture him in his Jimmy Buffet shirt piddling in the barn. My condolences go to all the family.

Cindy (Justice) Flores

TO THE MAXWELL FAMILY & STAFF AT HOPEWELL ANIMAL HOSPIAL, SORRY TO READ ABOUT YOUR LOSS . IT WAS A SHOCK. I JUST VISIT WITH DR. MAXWELL ON THE 19TH OF JUNE WITH ONE OF MY DOGS AND HE TALKED WITH ME AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY DOG AND SHOW ME PICTURES FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND AND HE NEVER RUSH ME WHEN I GO IN WITH ONE OF 5 DOGS HE IS THE BEST VET AROUND HE WILL BE MISS.OUR THOUGHTS& PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

I was sadden to hear about Dr. Maxwell. He was a wonderful man and veterian. It was a honor to have known him. I will surely miss him when i visit the animal hospital. I always asked for Dr. Maxwell because of his kindness and caring heart.Our prayers are with you. John and Betty (Brandy,Charlie,Ginger,Snowball,Samathe,Molly) (the pets he care over the years)

To The Family

I have become very close with Dr. Maxwell and the Staff at Hopewell Animal Hospital due to my dog being attacked and I just want the family to know that everytime I went for a visit (every two weeks for the last month and a half) he always shared a story with me about his family and the animals you all shared. It was apparent to me that he truly loved his family and enjoyed all the time with you and your animals. He will never be replaced. He was truely a wonderful person and I am so lucky to have met him. My thoughts and prayers and with you!

Kelly, Angel, Sydney, Gino, Steeler, Emily, Ronnie & Porky Gill

I'M SO SORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR LOSS.I'VE KNOWN STEVE SINCE I WAS A KID WHEN HIS PARENTS LIVED OFF OF MOODY ROAD.HE WAS A GREAT GUY.OUR PRAYERS AND THOUHGTS GO OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
DIANE BRITTLE DEVERS

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. I never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Maxwell, but as a good friend of one of his daughters, I have heard many wonderful stories. I hope you are all comforted by your memories and the stories you share.

Amy, Michael, Julia and Zachary Harbert

There are people in this world, who, when they pass, can never be replaced,certainly not by family, but in some cases, not by anyone else either.
Whether offering sound medical advice and skilled treatment, or showing compassion for my animals; coming to my home to assist in ending their suffering, or simply being there in periods of gut wrenching grief, "our" Dr. Maxwell was one of a very few, a very special, kind of man.
Our schedules kept us from sharing much time - and how I regret even more that we never got to go fishing together.
Like others, I am stunned by this news, and at a loss as to what to do now. I will miss him sorely as a vet of extraordinary talent, but I will miss him even more as a friend.

I must say this has been a shock to everyone. Dr. Maxwell was a GREAT Man. And he will be deeply missed. His name and the knowledge he shared with all of us will never be forgotten. Thank you Dr. Maxwell for everything you tought me and may you rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Maxwell family and everyone at Hopewell Animal Hospital...

The Laughlin Family.

Bob, You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. Faith will lead you through.

I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. HE HAS BEEN MY VET FOR MANY YEARS AND I ONLY TRUSTED DR. MAXWELL TO SEE MY ANIMALS. HE WAS ALSO THE KINDEST MAN I WILL EVER KNOW. I WILL BE PRAYING FOR HIS FAMILY.

To Dr. Maxwell's family, Dr. Harrison and Staff at Hopewell Animal Hospital.

Dr. Maxwell was very special to our family. He helped us raise our Chloe and gave us 15 years with her. He came to our home and his hands along with ours were on her as she took her last breath. There will never be another Chloe and there will never be another Dr. Maxwell.

Our thoughts are with all of you,
Loydette, Terry, Kris and Carly Daniels

Joyce and family, my condolences to you. I know how much Steve loved all of you, it was evident the way all of you supported the Band whenever we played out. I will miss the companionship that he gave me over the last two years in the Souther Roots jam sessions. He was always supportive of the people around him and tried to build up their confidence. Steve was truly a remarkable man who knew a lot of things and always tried to help out when he could. I am a better person for having known him.

I am so sorry to hear about Dr. Maxwell. He was my Veterian. He has been there for all of my animals. He was a kind man, helped you with your animals with good and bad. When they called and cancelled my appointment Thursday morning. I had no idea what had happened. When someone told me what they had heard I still did not want to beleive it. I called up there Sat. Morning and they told me. I have cried so much. He has been my Veterian for so many years. I don't know what I am going to do. He will be truely missed.

Joyce,

Our friend, Susan, has talked so much about you. I feel like I really know you. I am saddened by the loss of your loving husband and will lift you and your family up in prayer during this time.

With care and concern,
Agnes

May our loving Lord Jesus Christ send his angels to comfort you and your family in your sorrow. Dad often spoke well of Stephen as being the best vet around. May Our Lord's peace and love be with you and all your family.

God bless, Pat and my Dad, Rudy Hotz