Eileen Livengood Maddox, aged 92, passed away the morning of September 11, 2020, in Matthews, NC, after a full and inspiring life.
Eileen was born June 5, 1928 in Charleston, West Virginia to William Ernest and Zola Marie McClure Livengood. She had a magnetic and warm personality that endeared her to many. A majorette at Stonewall Jackson High School in Charleston, she also held the title of Miss Stonewall. She found the other half of her soul as a student in junior high, where she met and eventually married her handsome star athlete, Jim Maddox.
Eileen and Jim were inseparable, a beautiful and steadfast couple of synergy and joy. They were a creative duo, Jim working in design and Eileen in advertising. They raised four children in Parkersburg, West Virginia — their most cherished success. After raising children, they moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where they spent time being blissfully married. Eileen often said, If she could do it all over again, she’d do it the same, only better.
Eileen was full of youth well into her 90s. A fiercely competitive tennis player, she continued to rule the court up until the end. Hardly anyone would dare challenge Eileen in tennis, nor on the dance floor, where she reigned supreme.
Eileen was known for her wonderful homemade pies, a love of Tony Bennett, her sincerity and a vibrant spirit. She was a woman of deep faith, and it was a devotion to all around her — especially her family — that gave her life purpose and fulfillment. She loved nothing greater than spending time with her four children, ten grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. She cultivated many close friendships, her friends becoming family; she often said “I love you,” and she always meant it.
Left to cherish her memory: her sons Steven Maddox and wife Jamie of Piedmont, SC, and John Maddox and wife Lynn of Lexington, KY; daughters Kathi Diehl and husband Clark of Charleston, West Virginia, and Susan Snyder and husband Eric of Indian Trail; grandchildren Tayler Maddox Valentine and husband Greg, Samantha Maddox Johnson and husband Austin, Leslie Snyder, Hannah Snyder, Lauren Haddix Tarantelli, Weslee Maddox Anderson and husband Drew, and Juliette Maddox; great grandchildren Isabella Tarantelli, Anthony Tarantelli, Franklin Tarantelli, Mason Anderson, Emma Lee Anderson, Shores Maddox Valentine, Walter Valentine, Merritt Valentine and Trudy Hall Valentine. She was preceded in death by her parents William and Zola Livengood and her beloved husband Jim Maddox.
A private family funeral service will be Tuesday, September 15, 2020 in the Mausoleum Chapel of Sunset Memorial Park; 4301 MacCorkle Avenue SW, South Charleston, West Virginia. Entombment following the service in the mausoleum. Given the circumstances of the global pandemic, a celebration of Eileen's life will be scheduled for a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Alzheimer's Association; 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or www.act.alz.org
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