Beloved KC hiker who walked across Missouri dies suddenly: ‘Never met a stranger’

Kansas City’s nature lovers are just some of many mourning a beloved local hiker, volunteer and former college football player who died suddenly of heart complications last week at age 30.

In an interview with The Star, Isaiah Maxi’s family members described him as “always bright and sunny” and said he leaves a legacy of helping others and leaving everywhere he went better than he found it.

“His body is gone, but he is truly still going to be living for a long time,” Bertrand Maxi, Maxi’s father, said.

Outside of his work as an addiction counselor with Burrell Behavioral Health, Maxi spent his time volunteering and hiking around Kansas City and beyond — and connecting with others by sharing about his endeavors on social media.

In 2022, Maxi hiked 31 state parks in Missouri. And last spring, he hiked the Katy Trail across Missouri with many following his journey on Facebook. He started hiking in Kansas City and ended just north of St. Louis, completing the around 300 mile journey in 24 days.

Friends Maxi made along the trail expressed their condolences on Facebook, saying Maxi was someone who “never met a stranger.” Some hiked pieces of the trail with him, while others opened their homes to him along the route. A few met Maxi as he visited their businesses throughout his hike.

The trek was part of Maxi’s challenge to himself to do hard things, his family said. After completing the Katy Trail, he met with different student groups to talk about his experience and his love for nature in the state — including students at his alma mater in the Center High School Black Student Union, students at the University of Central Missouri and a class of second graders.

A life of giving back

Supporting others — especially young people — was core to who Maxi was, his family said.

In addition to helping raise his siblings, his Max The Volunteer accounts on social media detailed ways he gave back across Kansas City over the years.

Maxi frequently volunteered with Harvesters and the Readers and Writers Network, among other organizations. His work with AmeriCorps earned him many awards, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which he received both for hours served within a 12 month period and lifetime hours.

In December, Maxi posted that he had volunteered with 100 different organizations. He had also reached 100 volunteer hours for the fifth year in a row.

Since the start of this year, he completed 64 hours of volunteer work and was on his way to completing his 2025 volunteer goals, one of which was to volunteer in eight different states.

Maxi had said mentors played a critical role in his life, and he started his own nonprofit to mentor youth called Maximizing Lives.

‘Someone to rely on’

Maxi’s younger sister, Alesha Maxi, 14, said he taught her how to see different perspectives and strive for growth.

“He tried to become someone that not only was a better version of himself but a better big brother for us so that way when we grew up, we would have someone to rely on,” Alesha said.

“He showed me that no matter what I do in life, there’s always going to be someone who accepts me.”

Maxi’s family members remember him as someone who always showed up for those he loved, whether it was going to Alesha’s plays, watching movies together or going out for ice cream.

They said they hope to continue his legacy of helping others and being a force of positivity, and would appreciate help from the community in doing so.

“We know he lived his life to the fullest, and we’re going to miss him, but we’re definitely grateful for the time that we had,” Emmaniel Maxi, Maxi’s older brother, said.

Services to honor Maxi will be held on July 26 at Center High School. Donations to the family can be made through this GoFundMe.