Larry Stephen Maddox

Larry Stephen Maddox, 71, of Olive Branch, MS died at his residence in Olive Branch after a brave battle from the results of cancer treatment. Born on February 7, 1954 in Valdosta, GA, he was the son of the late Lt. Col. Roy L. Maddox and the late Reba L. Weathers Maddox. His family served in the Air Force in several US states, as well as Spain, Germany, and England. In high school they settled in Memphis, TN where he attended Nicholas Blackwell High School, was active in the choir program, and graduated in the class of 1972. He worked part-time at 84 Lumber Company before graduation and played in local bands. Music was one of his passions and remained with him throughout his life. His mother taught him how to read music, but he possessed perfect pitch and could play by ear. He used these abilities to play in rock bands, beginning at the age of 12. In Raleigh, he joined several groups and played the Hammond B-3 organ and sang. Burgundy, Hope, and The Trips were his latest bands. After marrying, he became involved in church music and eventually was ordained as a minister of music. He led worship in Desoto County Southern Baptist churches for 22 years in bi-vocational service. He often worked with youth in several of the churches, as well as leading adult and youth choirs. His love for God was evident in the way he encouraged everyone to develop the talent they had. Steve also ministered to anyone that needed a helping hand and a kind word and traveled in the US and abroad on mission trips. He always stayed active in raising funds for local groups, such as collecting cans to donate to local youth ministries. Recently, he was active in the collection of items for the Care Center. He was a member of Desoto Hills Baptist Church in Southaven, MS and was previously active in the adult choir, led a men's vocal group, and served on the P.U.S.H. team. More recently, he attended adult Sunday School, worship, and adult Bible studies. His favorite verse was John 3:16 and desired that all may come to know Christ. Aviation was another passion that turned out to be his full-time occupation at the Memphis International Airport in 1978. He worked on the ground crew for Southern, Republic, Northwest, and Delta Airlines. Eventually he worked his way up and became a ground crew supervisor and remained so until his retirement in 2009. Because of his benefits he traveled with his family and friends, as much as possible. After retirement, local airshows became one of his favorite past-times. . Other interests included scuba diving, wind-surfing, swimming, fishing, gardening, lawn care, war movies, feeding all types of native wildlife, photography, painting, cooking, and watching The Cowboys play. His family was his greatest joy and he will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Vicki Owens Maddox of Olive Branch; his daughters, Christina Maddox Walker (Chad) of Olive Branch, MS and Stephanie Maddox Joslin (Ryan) of Collierville, TN; grandsons, Sean Walker of Foley, AL, Nick Walker of Olive Branch, Aaron Joslin of Collierville; granddaughter, Joanna Joslin of Collierville; brothers, Michael Maddox (Qulia) of Wewoka, OK, and Leslie Maddox of Memphis, TN; and sister, Linda Maddox Jordan (Mike) of Memphis. Visitation will be held at Coleman Funeral Home in Olive Branch, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., Sunday, June 8, 2025, with the memorial service immediately following at 5:00 p.m. Rev. James Lewis will officiate. Graveside services will take place on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 12:30 p.m., at Fairview Cemetery in Newbern, TN. The family requests all memorials be directed to Desoto Hope (www.desotohope.org) or the Epilepsy Foundation (www.epilepsy.com).

Larry Stephen Maddox

February 7, 1954 - June 4, 2025

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