John F. "Jack" Maddox passed away July 27, 2026.

Jack was born April 7, 1926 in Cairo, Illinois to Mary and Ercil Maddox.  He graduated from McBride High School in 1944.  Jack married Virginia "Bid" Walsh July 29, 1950 and they lived in St. Louis until 1964, transferring with Frisco Railway to Springfield, Missouri.  He served in the US Army in the Korean War.

He is survived by their children, Michael (Vicki) and Mary (Tim); eight grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and his sister, Patricia Johnson of New York.

Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia, son, Stephen (Brenda) and daughter-in-law, Deborah.

Through his life he will be remembered as a man of few words, but they were usually memorable.  For many years he was never seen without his pipe in his mouth, even on the tennis court.  He enjoyed hunting in his younger years.  He worked for Frisco Railway all of his career, ending with Director Compensation and Personnel Services, retiring when he was 55 years old.  He was a member of the Legion of Mary in St. Louis.  In Springfield he was a charter member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and served as DDF chairman.  He attended Cursillo and Marriage Encounter.

His favorite color was blue although every grand and great-grandchild thought it was purple, he just liked teaching them to say purple early on in their speaking.

He had beautiful, precise handwriting and took pride in all his Palmer handwriting awards.

He loved to tell stories and jokes, and they were always word for word each time he told them through the years.

He was kind, thoughtful and agreeable, going out of his way to help others.  He was aware of and fastidious about his appearance.

Funeral Mass will be Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 10:00 AM at Holy Trinity Catholic Church with burial at Missouri Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 PM under the care of Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home.  Visitation will be Wednesday from 6-8 PM at the funeral home with a Rosary at 7:00 PM.

Memorial donations may be made to The Kitchen, Inc., 730 N. Glenstone Avenue, Springfield, Missouri 65802.

We will all miss him, especially Teddy.