Philipsburg:--- Relatives and friends of Malcolm Maidwell are mourning their loss as he passed away at age 73 on Saturday. Maidwell was a well known sports pioneer. Maidwell became a recognized sportsman on St. Maarten since early 1970. He was born in 1938 and came to the island in 1968 from Grenada where he met and married Liz Lyder after crossing the Atlantic in a 25 ft boat from South Africa. He made St. Maarten his home and started the first boat building yard in Cole Bay (the old Land Sea Air) with Peter Spronk. He was a runner; he founded the Road Runners in the 1980's, followed by the Triathlon Club, FITA in 1992, the Cycling Club, FICA in 1998, and the Kayaking Club and FIAC in 2002.He was decorated by the Queen Beatrix in 2005 for his years of contribution to sports. After a ten year battle with cancer he passed away in the arms of his family at his home on Saturday afternoon.
He will be mostly remembered for the tireless motivation that he gave to beginner athletes.