Lanny Warren Maddux, 80, of Lawrence, Kansas went to be with the Lord on April 3, 2025, after a several year fight against cancer.
Lanny was born on September 16, 1944, to Cecil and Beulah Maddux in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He graduated from Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Missouri, and went on to receive a multiple Bachelor degrees in 1968 from Ozark Bible College to prepare him for ministry.
He met his wife, Patricia, at Ozark Bible College and they were married on August 2, 1966. Together, they had five children: Sara, Philip, Mark, Felicia, and Laura.
Lanny and Patricia served on the Brazilian mission field from November of 1970 to May of 1977. They returned to the states where Lanny began local church ministry at Countryside Christian Church in Topeka, Kansas. In the late 80s, Lanny and the family moved to University Park, Illinois where he served at Deer Creek Christian Church in Crete, Illinois. In 1991, the family returned to Kansas and Lanny began ministry with Campus Christians at the University of Kansas. For the next 25 years, Lanny would serve countless international students who came to KU for their education through ESL teaching and assistance, but primarily through a Christ-centered relationship focused on showing them Jesus. Lanny could be found handing out Bibles in a variety of languages in the Student Union, leading Bible-centric English classes in the evening, making middle-of-the-night runs to the Kansas City Airport as new students arrive, giving driving lessons in his personal car to students needing American licensure, among many other things. Lanny continued to serve the local church by serving as an Elder at Lawrence Heights Christian Church for a number of years, engaging in and leading Bible studies, serving with his musical skills, and any place that he was needed.
Lanny loved to care for his home, and one of his favorite activities was the collection and preparation of firewood for their wood stove. He often assisted others in clearing downed limbs from their property. No matter where they lived – rental or owned – Lanny took impeccable care of their home, making improvements along the way and making their home a welcome and hospitable space for anyone that might show up.
Lanny is preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Maddux, his parents, Cecil and Beulah Maddux, his brother, Norman Maddux, and his daughter, Felicia.
Lanny is survived by his children: Sara (Sara (John) Desmond of Joplin, MO., Philip (Elizabeth) Maddux of Warsaw, OH, Mark (Janice) Maddux of Columbus, OH, and Laura (Tyler) Green of Lawrence, KS, his 12 grandchildren, and his 8 great-grandchildren.
Services for Lanny and Patricia will be held on April 5, 2025, at Lawrence Heights Christian Church, 2321 Peterson Rd, Lawrence KS 66049. Visitation will be at 11:00 AM, followed by a service at 1:00 PM.
Memorial gifts may be directed to MMS Aviation, P.O. Box 1118, Coshocton, OH 43812. MMS Aviation serves missionary aviation by training apprentice mechanics and pilots, as well as maintaining missionary aircraft that support the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
