Maybee received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Toronto, and in 1942, earned a Ph.D. in English from Princeton. He then returned to Canada, joined the Royal Canadian Navy, and was assigned to convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. After the war, he joined the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department.
His first foreign posting was to China, where he found himself in the midst of civil war. By 1964, Maybee reached the top of the diplomatic civil service as ambassador to Lebanon. He was in Beirut during the 1967 war, and was responsible for evacuating Canadians from this war zone. Seeking the safest way, Maybee chartered an airplane on his own and brought out his compatriots.
In 1974, Maybee was appointed high commissioner of Canada for India and Nepal. This was his last posting before retiring in 1978. He then studied journalism at Carleton University and became editor of the Anglican Diocesan newspaper Crosstalk.
Maybee is survived by Nevitt, his wife of 63 years; five children; and numerous grandchildren.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.