Sean Erik Maxwell
Sean Erik Maxwell, dearly loved son of Ellen and Bill, brother of Jami and Cody, husband of Tara, father of Aiden and Piper, and friend to all who knew him, died on Friday, June 20, 2025.
It is nearly impossible to picture Sean in your mind without imagining him mid-laugh. This is not to say that he wasn’t a man capable of serious contemplation, of hard work, or deeply held faith. To know Sean is to know he was, without question, all of those things. But he was also just FUNNY. He was quick with a lovingly teasing joke, a hilarious aside, a story that could make you laugh out loud. Sean was always able to find the humor in whatever room he was in.
Sean was an incredible cook, a dedicated athlete, an avid movie buff, and truly one of the kindest people ever. He listened without judgment, shared without embarrassment, and showed up honestly. He brought his whole self to whatever task was in front of him, whether that was preparing a sermon, cooking a gourmet dinner, or playing a game with the kids. Sean understood better than most that life can be complicated, hard, and heavy. Be he also chose to not only see the glass as half full, but to try and fill it to the brim.
Sean was proud to minister to the congregation at First Baptist Church of Chickamauga. One of the last sermons he ever gave, before his health forced him to step away from the pulpit, was about loyalty. He closed that message by pointing out the distractions we all face in our daily lives, and imploring us to make sure those distractions didn’t pull our focus away from our true priorities. Sean Maxwell was a man who focused on the priorities that mattered.
When sudden-onset epilepsy and a cascade of complications wreaked havoc on Sean’s previously remarkable health, his brain and body needed to be closer to home, needed quiet, needed so much rest. It meant Sean could no longer do so much of what brought him joy. But despite what illness robbed from Sean, he was always able to hold tight to the love of his family.
Sean loved big, and none more than Tara, Aiden, and Piper. There was genuinely nothing that made him happier than being Tara’s husband and Piper and Aiden’s dad. He delighted in telling people how he’d been in love with Tara since seventh grade, and every conversation about his kids made it clear that he was so proud of the people Aiden and Piper already are and are continuing to become.
Sean was such an easy person to love. He will be missed by basically everyone who ever received the gift of knowing him, but particularly by his family, both born and chosen. Sean was a bright light and our world will forever be a little dimmer without him.
The Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 30, at First Baptist Church of Chickamauga, with Pastor Michael Barrett officiating. The family will receive friends from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday and from noon until the funeral on Monday at the church. A family interment service will follow in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.
Donations in honor of Sean’s extraordinary life may be made to TVFCU or First Baptist Church of Chickamauga, c/o Tara Maxwell, to support the future education of his beloved children.
Arrangements are by Wilson Funeral Home-J. Avery Bryan Chapel.