RV Icon Gaylord Maxwell Will Be Greatly Missed

Gaylord Maxwell, a columnist, lecturer and founder of Life on Wheels (LoW), passed away
Saturday afternoon after a short illness in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. Throughout Maxwell’s
career, he contributed extensively to RVBusiness, Trailer Life and
MotorHome magazines, and continued to write periodically for the publications.
Recently, in his last column as a regular contributor to Motorhome, which will be
published in the magazine’s December issue, Gaylord wrote: “The reality is that you can
have your cake and eat it, too.” And so he lived by his example. In 1993, Maxwell began
teaching a class in “extended-time RVing” for the University of Idaho’s summer enrichment
program, and in 1996 launched LoW, an intensive series of classes involving more than 150
different subjects for RVers presented over four days. Initially, LoW was based at the
University of Idaho, but recently moved to Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho,
with satellite classes over the years in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Kentucky and Iowa. As
recently as the first week in September, Maxwell taught four Life on Wheels classes to RV
enthusiasts prior to the Pennsylvania RV and Camping Show in Hershey, Pa. “I still enjoy
teaching,” he said after the show. In all, Maxwell recently estimated that more than 10,000
RVers – 20% of them first timers – have attended Life on Wheels. Maxwell is survived by his
wife, Margie. A private memorial service will be Friday. The family asks that donations be
made in Maxwell’s name to the donor’s favorite charity. He will always be remembered for
his lifetime commitment to family, friends and RVing.