Garry Wayne Maddox

Garry Wayne Maddox was born December 23, 1948 to Lewis and Peggy Maddox at the home of Peggy’s parents in Winston, Missouri. He was the elder brother to Bill and Terry Maddox. He attended school in Parkville where he and his brothers learned to love the game of baseball. He graduated from Park Hill High School in 1966. He would say that later, he taught himself to read. Dick and Jane were just not quite up his alley. After high school, Garry attended the US Trade School where he studied auto mechanics. In 1969, he enlisted in the United States Army. He completed basic training in Fort Leonard Wood and was able to provide hurricane relief and develop a love for Cajun food all at the same time. Later in life, his love for all things Cajun would grow when he met Pastor Mike and Ms. Stephanie. After his completion of basic training, he served in Vietnam from May of 1970 to March of 1971. He was always proud to wear his Vietnam Vet “discount” hat, especially on family trips to Branson. Garry’s oldest son, Andy, was born in December 1973 during his first marriage. In 1978, Garry married his wife of 40 years, Elisa Mae Moreland. In November 1980, they moved to Kearney, Missouri where they would meet lifelong Christian friends, like Kenny and Carol Stock, and Jeff and Royce Keller, find a renewed love for and acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior, build the home in which they would raise their babies and live happily on the green side for over 30 years. Luke was born in October 1984. That’s when Garry began turning gray. Garry was either a hard worker or hardly working from a very young age. One summer, when he was 14, he went to work for his mother’s brother, Uncle Don, in Pattonsburg. With the money he earned that summer, he bought the family’s first wooden boat. This led to many family camping trips to the Lake of the Ozarks where Lewis and Peggy would later retire. He stayed with Don and his family and often talked about the good times he had during his time with them. Also just after high school, he went to Colorado for about a year to work for his Uncle Vance (Peggy’s brother-in-law) doing heating and air conditioning work. At one point, he worked with his dad as a machinist and later worked with his brother Terry at Jefferson Bus Lines as a mechanic. For 15 years, he worked at Ryder Truck Rental. After that he opened Garry’s Mobile Truck Repair, where he enjoyed being his own boss despite the 24 hour on-call life. He shut down the business and retired after 15 years. Most of us know Garry as someone who always tended to see the silver lining in all things and who had a slew of favorite one-liners. He would take in and accept just about anyone and offer a hug or a swift kick or maybe both, whatever you needed at the time. He enjoyed fishing and hunting with the guys and taking scenic rides on his motorcycle. One of the things he enjoyed the most was acting like a kid with his three grandchildren, Austin, Gage and Cameron. Garry also loved serving his church and God’s people even in other places around the world. He served as a deacon at both Full Gospel Fellowship and at Crescent Lake. He enjoyed his Sunday’s to greet. In 1997 Garry, Lisa and Luke went on a mission trip to Jamaica, and in 2012 he joined a missions team in Guatemala. Later on, in 2015, he went on another trip to Vietnam. He wasn’t afraid to make sure that everyone knew about God and His promises. On August 29, 2018, Jesus’ arms opened wide and after two bouts with lung cancer and a hard fought battle, Garry was called home. He was surrounded by his family and friends. Garry was preceded death in death by his father, Lewis Maddox. He is survived by his mother, Peggy, wife Lisa, brothers Bill and Terry and their wives Sherri and Joy, sons Andy and Luke, daughter-in-law Leslie, grandchildren Austin, Gage, and Cameron, and many others including in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews as well as great nieces and nephews. He loved all his family dearly. A memorial service for Garry will be held on September 8, 2018 at Crescent Lake Christian Center in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at 2:00pm. In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Crescent Lake Christian Center and will go toward missions through the church. Crescent Lake Christian Center 1250 St. Louis Ave Excelsior Springs, MO 64024

Garry Wayne Maddox

December 23, 1948 - August 29, 2018