Max Lennon Sr. reunited with Carleen, the love of his life, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Born in Alton on August 17, 1935, Max lived in Humboldt County his entire life. He graduated from Hydesville Elementary School in 1949 and then Fortuna High School in 1953.
Max began his lifelong career as a heavy equipment operator working in the woods with Lennon Brothers Logging, running any piece of equipment that he could climb onto. Max strongly supported unionization and initiated with the Local 3 Operating Engineers Union on August 1, 1957, where he ran bulldozer until his retirement on December 1, 1996. Max was especially proud of working on the Warm Springs Dam that created Lake Sonoma from 1980 until 1982, and the US 101 Bypass of Prairie Creek in the early 1990s.
Max married Carleen Williamson in 1957 and they welcomed their son, Max Lennon Jr., in 1959. Max and Carleen spent 52 loving years happily married and he was ready to finally rejoin her.
Max loved his Cadillacs and “Cadillac Max” owned many throughout his life. On one occasion — pre-cellphone camera era — he even asked his niece Claudia and her husband Dave to take a look at the Cadillac dealership in Chico just to see if there was anything on the lot worth the trip over.
In retirement Max and Carleen travelled around the country whenever they could, exploring the Grand Canyon, Branson, Missouri and taking several cruises to Alaska and Mexico, often accompanied by his sister Darlene and her husband Huey.
You could always find Max at the poker table, playing for hours on his initial $40 buy-in. He was fortunate enough to hit a Royal Flush at the Bear River Casino and was grateful for the jacket he received in recognition of his good luck.
For a period of time, if he wasn’t milking that $40 for all it was worth at the poker table, Max was out on the ocean salmon fishing and throwing back silvers with his buddies Bob Johnson, Louis Lorenzo and Huey.
Max was able to pass away peacefully at his home in Fortuna. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, wife, son and granddaughter and is survived by his two sisters, grandson and three great grandsons.
We would like to say thank you to Hospice of Humboldt as well as Dave and Claudia Enns for all their support and guidance during Max’s final days. Your help has been invaluable. THANK YOU.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Max Lennon’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.