Maxwell Griffin Mears

Maxwell Griffin Mears left the world unacceptably early on February 9, 2022. He was 33 years old. Max was born in Santa Cruz, California, on November 17, 1988, and from that day grew in both personality and height until he became the biggest person many of us had ever met. A frequent troublemaker, Maxwell was an undeniably charming and incredibly smart child who was just as likely to build a hovercraft from a disassembled computer fan and RC controller as he was to chase you around the house with it, injure you, and immediately gain your forgiveness with his top-notch puppy dog eyes. Always a curious boy, Maxwell needed to test every limit he met, on occasion in ways that led to sirens and flashing lights, as happened one day when he found himself, unsupervised, playing in a barbecue pit with a squirt bottle full of model airplane fuel. When the stream accidentally caught fire, and in a panic Max threw the entire flaming container to the ground, it caused a minor explosion and set the little church field ablaze. Max was known for that sort of thing. Even in the midst of explosions, Maxwell always managed to escape unscathed due to some combination of unmatched charisma and unbelievable luck. Whether he was doing 50 mph over the speed limit through a red light with a cop stopped at the intersection and getting away with it or sweet-talking a judge into believing that cops were absurd and he was innocent when he finally did get a ticket, Max was as charmed as he was charming. Wild as he was, Max had a gentle and creative nature. He loved solving puzzles and doing projects. He had us all in awe any time he picked up a new hobby. What can only be described as his obsession with Rubik’s cubes led to pixel art portraits that were as breathtaking to behold as they were impossible to imagine creating. Max had a million adventures in his life and was the star in too many of them to name. He was a casanova who made grand gestures with utter sincerity. He was known for his thoughtfulness, his exacting standards, his countless quirks, his smile, his mashed potatoes, and his disregard for speed limits, both actual and metaphorical. He excelled at anything he tried, winning DJ competitions, model airplane flying contests, software coding awards, and, most notably, the seventh grade science fair (for his “Suck and Blow” wind tunnel demonstration, set to music from a softcore porno, naturally). Teachers feared him, women loved him, colleagues admired him, friends cherished him, family adored him, and at some point or another everyone wanted to smack him. He was a sweet, sensitive soul, and not one person on this Earth can fill his gigantic, stylish shoes or the enormous hole he has left in our hearts. Maxwell is survived by his parents Bill, Peggy, and Angela, his sisters Jordan and Paige, his niece and nephews Juliet, Mason, and Adam, and his dogs Jake and Shark. There are of course also countless friends, family, basically-family, confidantes, partners-in-crime, and all-around members of the Max Mears fanclub. There will be a service honoring Max at the Scotts Valley Community Center in Scotts Valley, California, on Saturday, February 19, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Services begin at 1:30. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to charities that support drug abuse recovery. This will be a “dry” event.