When Maxwell Albert Lopez was born on October 25, 1925, in New York City, New York, his father, Maximo, was 25 and his mother, Clarice, was 22. He had one brother.

Maxwell was a member of the expedition who lost his life in the 1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash. This occurred on December 30, 1946, on Thurston Island, Antarctica, when his plane, United States Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner, crashed during a blizzard. Buno 59098 was one of 4 aircraft lost during Operation Highjump.

The aircraft, Bureau Number 59098, callsign "George 1", hit a ridge and burned while supporting Operation Highjump. The crash instantly killed Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez and Petty Officer Wendell K. Hendersin. Two hours later, Petty Officer Frederick Williams also died. Six surviving crewmembers, including Aviation Radioman James H. Robbins, pilot Ralph "Frenchy" LeBlanc, and co-pilot William Kearns, were rescued 13 days later by an aircraft from USS Pine Island (AV-12). Hendersin, Williams, and Lopez were buried at the crash site, and their remains have not been recovered. Lopez's name is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, World War II West Coast Memorial, San Francisco, California.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, en.wikipedia.org, www.ancestry.com