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SGT Maxwell Alexander Santerre,
Army veteran
Ft. LEWIS, Wash. — Sergeant Max Santerre died unexpectedly Dec. 7, 2020, at home in Ft. Lewis. Sgt. Santerre joined the U.S. Army in 2015, serving with the 509th Clearance Company. He completed one tour to Korea, serving as a mine protected vehicle driver and as a machine gunner in 2016. He then completed a tour to Afghanistan serving as a team leader, then squad leader in 2018. His efforts and achievements in Afghanistan resulted in Sgt. Santerre receiving the Army Commendation Medal and a combat action badge. In 2019, he received orders to Joint Base Lewis-McChord to serve with the 570th Sapper Company. Along with his excellence in this profession, Sgt. Santerre left a long-lasting impact to his friends, peers, and soldiers. He is fondly remembered by many as an intelligent, funny, and humble leader, for his kind and genuine personality, and for being quick with a joke and a laugh.
He was born in 1993 and graduated from Putnam High School in 2009, and was a fan of the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, and New York Yankees. Growing up in a New England farming community, Max’s favorite smell was left by the “honey pot” spreading the fields, and he would frequently say that he missed that sweet smell of home.
Max leaves his mother, Torrey Santerre; stepfather Keith Gilbert; and brother Dylan (Putnam); his maternal grandmother, Jill Relahan (Woodstock); paternal grandparents, Thomas and Linda Mannix (Plainfield); Ashley Pickney and her daughter Kenadee Reardon;.
Max was only 27 years old when he died by suicide. His death does not define his legacy.
He was honored Dec. 18 at Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: The American Legion, Post #13, P.O. Box 123 Putnam, CT 06260; or to Wounded Warriors: support.woundedwarriorproject.org.
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