John Dale Maddox

John was born on October 18, 1942, in Charleston, WV, to the late Jack and Florence (Midkiff) Maddox.

John graduated in May 1960 from South Charleston High School. He moved to Kansas City in the fall to attend Central Technical Institute to study Electronic Technology. After graduating from Central Technical Institute in September 1962, he was hired by Bendix (Honeywell) as an Electronic Technician. He married his high school sweetheart, Eileen (Scarffol) Maddox, on November 24, 1962, at Redemptorist Church in Kansas City, MO. John raised his family in Grandview, MO and was an avid supporter of his daughters’ softball and school activities.

Little did Grandfather Maddox know when he nicknamed John ‘Hot Rod’, that he would develop a lifelong love of cars. As a ‘shade-tree’ mechanic, John knew how to fix cars but wanted to understand more, so he attended Longview Community College at night and completed his associate’s degree in Automotive Technology in 1974. He continued to work on cars while working fulltime at Bendix.

After 43 years, John retired from Honeywell (Bendix) in March 2006 as a 2nd shift Committeeman for the Machinists’ Union, Local 314.

Since his retirement, John enjoyed keeping the ‘family’ cars running and teaching the grandchildren a few automotive basics, learning new things, traveling, and volunteering at Coronation of our Lady and St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic churches. Above all, John loved spending time with his family.

John was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Eileen; sisters Saundra Sarakaitis and Jackie Maddox; daughters Christina Hunt, Becky (Dan) Shaw, and Mary (Roger) Sanders; grandchildren Brittany (Christopher) Willard, Andrew (Michelle) Offutt, Jess (Craig) Laudenslager, Lyndsey Hunt (Gabe Falcon), Ashley Sanders, RJ Sanders (Erica Miller), and Madison Sanders; great-grandchildren D.C. Laudenslager, Maddox Offutt, Makayla Offutt, Hayden Hartley, Derek Falcon, and Jameson Laudenslager; nieces Jennifer (Jason) Croy and Stefanie (Charles) Wagoner; nephew/Godson Seth (Jolene) Sarakaitis; and his beloved ‘hissy’ cat K.D.

John was loved by many and will be missed by all…