Rev. Austin “Dale” Maddux

Rev. Austin “Dale” Maddux, age 96, formerly of Evansville, IN, passed away January 2, 2025, at Amorem – Hospice in Valdese, NC.

Dale was born August 27, 1928 in Laverne, OK, to Roy C. and Sylvia L. (Douglas) Maddux. He met the love of his life of 67 years, Delores (Tope) Maddux, while at Southwestern, and remembered her from his time at Ouachita Baptist College.  The remembering soon turned into romance.  Dale and Delores were married on June 3, 1951 at the First Baptist Church, Sikeston, Missouri.  Their honeymoon was driving from Missouri back to Fort Worth so that Dale couldcomplete his seminary education. They helped begin the Beverly Hills Baptist Church, in north Fort Worth, while at Southwestern; Dale also pastored half-time at a church in east Texas for several months.  He and Delores moved to Coffeyville, Kansas in August 1954 where they began full-time ministry at the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church; they then began a new church at South Coffeyville, Oklahoma.  Two sons were born to them while living in Coffeyville:  Marcus, in July of 1956,and Clark, in October of 1957.

During this time, Dale and Delores began pursuing international missions work, but God had other plans for them.  At the end of 1958, Dale was asked to consider associational mission ministry at Tri-County Baptist Association with the Baptist Student Union Ministry at Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg, Kansas.  Associational missions became the ministry he and Delores followed for 35 years. From Pittsburg, he and Delores moved to northeast Arkansas to serve with the Current River and Gainesville Associations in 1960.  During that time, God called them to serve as missionaries in the United States rather than in international missions.  They were appointed bythe Home Mission Board (now North American Missions Board) in October 1962 and served with the NAMB in Michigan, Indiana, and Montana.  They retired on August 31, 1993, and moved to Evansville, Indiana.  After retirement, Dale continued ministry as interim pastor for 17 congregations in the Evansville region. In 2019, he moved to Appalachian Brian Estates for Independent Living in Boone, North Carolina, where, up until the time of his death, he continued to be active in the congregation at Greenway Baptist Church in Boone and in the community at Brian Estates. 

He is survived by his two sons: Marcus, who lives in Evergreen, Colorado, and Clark and Connie Wilson Maddux, who live in Boone, North Carolina.  They have four grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters. Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Roy C. and Sylvia L. (Douglas) Maddux; wife of 67 years, Delores (Tope) Maddux; sister, Cressie “Faye” Gonzales. 

Funeral Services will be at 10:00 AM, Friday, January 10, 2025, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue, Evansville, with Rev. Steve Taylor officiating. 

Visitation will be from 2:00 to 6:00 PM, Thursday, January 9, 2025,  and from 9:00 AM until service time, Friday, January 10, 2025, at Boone Funeral Home.

A Live Stream will be available beginning twenty minutes prior to the service time. Please visit www.boonefuneralhome.net, select your loved one’s obituary, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Live Stream.

Memorials in lieu of flowers are requested to the Maddux/Gonzales Music Scholarship, the Arkansas Baptist Foundation, the Annie Armstrong Offering for the North American Mission Board (SBC), or to Northeast Park Baptist Church.

Boone Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Rev. Austin “Dale” Maddux. Condolences may be made to the family online at boonefuneralhome.net

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