Henry 'Chip' S. Maxfield Jr., 74

Henry “Chip” Southwick Maxfield Jr., 74, passed away peacefully at Mountain View Community on July 25, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.

A Wolfeboro native, Chip was born on May 15, 1951, at Huggins Hospital to Henry Southwick Maxfield and Elizabeth (Burchenal) Maxfield of Wolfeboro. Chip graduated from Carpenter Elementary School in 1965, Holderness in 1969, and the University of New Hampshire in 1973, after attending Kenyon College.

After a short time in Boston, Chip returned to Wolfeboro, lured by Lake Winnipesaukee, the White Mountains and his love of his hometown. He joined his father at Henry S. Maxfield Real Estate and immediately thrived in real estate sales. On Oct. 2, 1976, Chip married Christina “Tina” Suzanne Franz. He soon took over the company, moving the office in Wolfeboro from South Main Street to Railroad Avenue, where it flourished. Chip and Tina expanded the agency’s territory with offices in Alton, Center Harbor and Ossipee. Maxfield Real Estate became the Lakes Region’s No. 1 independently owned real estate company, and Chip was awarded the Lakes Region Board of Realtors Realtor of the Year award in 1988.

Throughout Chip’s career he created a business culture true to his ethics of honesty, integrity and community service. His agents and staff were like family, and many remained with the company for decades. Chip’s community involvement resulted in the creation of the We Care program as a way to “help support communities that support us.” With the company and Maxfield agents donating a portion of commissions to nonprofits, “We Care” raised over $1.5 million for over 450 different charities. Chip sold the company in 2020, and today it continues to be a leader in Lakes Region real estate and the We Care program lives on.

Chip’s love for Wolfeboro and the Wolfeboro community are reflected in the many organizations he was a part of and awards he received: co-founder of the Abenaki Water Ski Club (1971); Wolfeboro Budget Committee (1978); chair of the Southern Carroll County/American Red Cross (1986); Governor Wentworth Arts Council, Wolfeboro Chamber of Commerce, and president of the New Hampshire Realtor Association (1993); founding president of Great Waters Music Festival (1995); Wolfeboro Area Recreation Association “The Nick” (1999); founding member and fundraising chair of the Friends of Abenaki (2005); chair of the Wolfeboro Downtown Parking Committee (2009); General James Wolfe Award (2011) and the Manchester Union Leader Legacy Award (2016), both for the We Care program; and the inaugural Wolfeboro Chamber of Commerce Governor Wentworth Award for Community Service.

Throughout his life, Chip developed many friendships from both business and recreational activities. Easy to talk to and socially adept, he exuded confidence with his ability to spin a yarn and his wry sense of humor. Chip excelled in alpine skiing, slalom water skiing, golf and tennis. He frequently skied Mount Washington from the summit over Tuckerman Ravine to its many gullies, and could water ski around slalom buoys with short line on the course in Wolfeboro’s Back Bay. He was a lifelong mountain hiker and summited many of the New Hampshire 4,000-footers, sometimes in winter conditions. Although not a lifelong runner, he trained for months and completed the 1989 New York Marathon. Skiing was his winter passion at Cannon Mountain, Waterville Valley and occasionally out west at Taos in New Mexico. Chip was a member of both the Kingswood Golf Club and Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club, and was a part of numerous team tournament victories. A longtime member of the Wolfeboro Tennis Club, he was an avid player and successful tournament competitor. Revitalizing the local Abenaki Ski Area with snowmaking and a new lodge, as well as cleaning out Back Bay of logs from the 1938 hurricane to enable tournament water skiing and related activities, were dear to his heart. To top it off, Chip was an incredible dancer and loved all kinds of music, especially the Beach Boys.

Chip was a loving father and served as a Little League baseball coach for his son’s team and sponsored his daughter's elementary basketball team for years. He led the family on winter ski trips, making sure they always got first tracks. Family trips included going to Walt Disney World and New Smyrna Beach in Florida, and river rafting on Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho.

Chip was predeceased by his parents, Henry and Betty, and is survived by his wife Tina, his two children, Max and Laura and her husband Jordan, and his grandson Oswin, as well as his sister Dura Winder.

Chip’s family is grateful for the amazing care he received at Mountain View Community in Ossipee, where he spent the last 11 months of his life, and for everyone who visited and spent time with him there sharing memories.

A private memorial service will be held. There will be visiting hours open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, at Lord Funeral Home in Wolfeboro. Attendees to the visiting hours are encouraged to dress in classic Beach Boys summer attire.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Friends of Abenaki Inc., P.O. Box 506, Wolfeboro, NH 03894.

Lord Funeral Home of Wolfeboro will be assisting the family with arrangements. If you would like to express a condolence or leave a fond memory, visit lordfuneralhome.com.