WILL H. MADDEN

WILL H. MADDEN WAS BORN ON JULY 3, 1946 TO THE LATE WILLIAM HENRY AND EFOLIA MADDEN IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. HE WAS THE SECOND OF FOUR CHILDREN BORN TO THIS UNION. WILL RECEIVED HIS FORMAL EDUCATION AT GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER ELEMENTARY AND SCIPIO A. JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL, IN NORTH LITTLE ROCK. AS A YOUNG TEEN, WILL'S PARENTS WANTED A BETTER LIFE FOR HIM AND ENCOURAGED HIM TO MOVE TO SAN DIEGO, CA TO LIVE WITH HIS BELOVED OLDER SISTER AND HER HUSBAND, THE LATE CURTIS & BEULAH (DOLLIE) JONES WHO WERE BOTH MEMBERS OF MT. ERIE BAPTIST CHURCH. 

HE CONTINUED HIS EDUCATION AND GRADUATED IN 1964 FROM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL. WILL WAS DEFINITELY A HORNET FOR LIFE! 'POPS', AS HE WAS AFFECTIONATELY CALLED BY MOST, WOULD SHOW UP TO GAMES AND SCHOOL EVENTS IN HIS GREEN, PROUDLY LETTING ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN KNOW HE WAS A HORNET. HE WOULD ALSO PROUDLY SHOW OFF THE FAMOUS HORNET EMBLEM HE WAS CREDITED FOR DRAWING. sHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING IN SAN DIEGO WILL JOINED MT. ERIE BAPTIST CHURCH UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PASTOR M.H. HAYWARD. HE PROFESSED HIS LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST AND WAS BAPTIZED IN 1961 BY REV. M. H. HAYWARD AND HIS COUSIN, ISAIAH WILLIAMS, 

AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS 'DEAC' AT MT. ZION. AT THE TIME THERE WASN'T A BAPTISM POOL YET AVAILABLE AT MT. ERIE, DUE TO RENOVATIONS. AFTER GRADUATION WILL ENLISTED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY AND PROUDLY SERVED HIS COUNTRY. HE WAS STATIONED IN VIETNAM AND WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ALSO BE STATIONED RIGHT HERE IN SAN DIEGO. HE ENJOYED BEING ABLE TO COME HOME AND BE AROUND HIS FAMILY OFTEN, AND IF YOU KNEW WILL, YOU KNOW HE LOVED HIS FAMILY! AFTER THE NAVY HE WAS EMPLOYED BY FOODMAKER. INC. AS A CROSS COUNTRY TRUCK DRIVER FOR JACK IN THE BOX. HE REMAINED WITH THE COMPANY UNTIL THEY MOVED THE WAREHOUSE TO LOS ANGELES, CA. THEREAFTER HE WORKED PROUDLY FOR THE USPS AS A TRUCK DRIVER. 

IN 1969, WILL MET AND MARRIED THE LATE BEVERLY ANN EUGENE. THEY TRAVELED THE WORLD WITH THEIR CLOSE FRIENDS JOYCE AND FRANK PALMER; SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND, FRANCE, ITALY, GERMANY, AND AUSTRIA. THE LORD BLESSED THEM TO HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS, DACIA LAʼQUETTE AND TARA LAʼVETTE, WHO THEY RAISED IN THE CHURCH TO KNOW AND LOVE THE LORD FOR THEMSELVES. WILL WAS THE ULTIMATE ‘GIRL DAD'. HE WAS VERY HANDS ON, TEACHING THEM HOW TO CHANGE TIRES, DRIVE A STICK, EVEN LEARNING HOW TO COMB AND PRESS HIS GIRLS' HAIR. THERE WASN'T ANYTHING HE WOULDN'T DO FOR HIS CHILDREN, AND EVENTUALLY THE 'GRANDS' AND 'GREATS'. HE LATER MARRIED GELORIAS LUCAS, HE WAS A DEVOTED HUSBAND TO HER. WILL LOVED HIS FAMILY TO THE CORE AND CHERISHED THEM AND ANYONE WHO WANTED TO BE PART OF 'THE MADDENNATION', THE NAME HE CREATED FOR THE BOND THEY SHARED. HE ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE ANNUAL 

MADDENNATION CELEBRATIONS THAT WERE HELD AROUND HIS BIRTHDAY IN THE MONTH OF 

JULY. NO MATTER WHO YOU WERE, OR WHO YOU KNEW, THERE WAS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE 

MORE WHEN IT CAME TO 'POPS'; HE LOVED EVERYONE, AND WANTED EVERYONE TO BE A PART 

OF HIS GENUINE AND GIVING HEART. ONE OF HIS GREATEST JOYS WAS BEING SURROUNDED 

BY THOSE WHO LOVED HIM TO SHARE IN LAUGHS, FUN, GOOD MUSIC, AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, 

JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME! 

WILL STAYED FEARLESSLY ON THE BATTLEFIELD THROUGHOUT HIS SEVENTY-SIX YEARS RIGHT HERE AT MT. ERIE. HE SERVED FAITHFULLY IN MANY AREAS THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH; HE WAS A FAITHFUL DEACON, SANG IN THE YOUTH CHOIR, SERVED ON THE USHER BOARD, BAPTISM COMMITTEE, SECURITY TEAM, YOUTH USHER SUPERVISOR, AND DRIVER FOR THE CHILDREN AT THE MT. ERIE ACADEMY AND SENIORS. THE LIST DEFINITELY GOES ON! POPS WOULD TRAVEL UP AND DOWN THE COAST WITH THE YOUTH USHER BOARD TO STATE CONVENTIONS AND EVEN LED THE YOUTH USHERS TO MANY TROPHIES FOR MARCHING DRILLS AND ORATORICAL COMPETITIONS. 

TO KNOW WILL WAS TO LOVE WILL. YOU ALWAYS KNEW WHERE YOU STOOD WITH HIM AND IF YOU DIDN'T, ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ASK, AND HE WOULD CERTAINLY TELL YOU. HE WAS A 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' KIND OF GUY - MOST TIMES TO A FAULT, BUT ALWAYS WITH A SMILE AND LOVE IN HIS HEART. YOU WOULD HEAR HIS HEARTY LAUGH MANY TIMES BEFORE YOU SAW HIM. HE WAS DEFINITELY THE LIFE OF THE PARTY AND WOULDN'T HESITATE TO REMIND YOU THAT HE "LOVES YOU AND YOU CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT". YOU WOULD OFTEN FIND HIM REMINISCING ABOUT HIS DAYS AS A TRUCK DRIVER, HIS CHILDHOOD IN LITTLE ROCK, HOW HE MASTERED THIS OR THAT, OR TELLING ANY JOKE HE COULD THINK OF TO MAKE YOU LAUGH, BUT MOSTLY BRAGGING ON HIS DAUGHTERS OR GRAND KIDS, THAT WAS WILL! HE JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU SMILE! 

ON SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023, THE LORD SOUNDED THE TRUMPET AND SUMMONED HIS CHILD HOME TO TAKE HIS FINAL REST, HE WAS SURROUNDED BY WHO HE LOVED BEST, 'THE NATION'. WILL LEAVES TO CHERISH HIS MEMORY, HIS LAUGH, AND HIS PURE HEART; HIS DEVOTED DAUGHTERS, DACIA RUSSELL & TARA MADDEN-SLAUGHTER; EIGHT GRANDCHILDREN RACQUEL, RAENIQUE (ADRIEL), RHEJONALD, MICHAEL, REGGIE, CHENEL, CIARA AND SHARDACIA; FIVE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN MYAH, ISAIAH, ARIYANAH, MALIA AND CHRISTIAN; TWO BROTHERS JOHN (CHIA) MADDEN OF SAN DIEGO, CA., AND BOBBY (SHIRLEY) BOBO, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS; ONE BROTHER IN LOVE, JIMMY LETBETTER, OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA; ADOPTED CHILDREN ANTHONY (BENITA) JEMISON OF ALABAMA, REV. CLYDE (SAUNJA) GAINES, II, AND TRACI (EDWARD) SHENAULT; GOD DAUGHTERS: JOYCELYN (BRIAN) PALMER-STODGHLL AND NATASHA NORWOOD; AS WELL AS A HOST OF NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS, CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND ALL OF THE EXTENDED MEMBERS OF THE MADDENNATION WHO HAVE BEEN A LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE PART OF HIS LIFE. 

MEETING HIM IN GLORY ARE HIS PARENTS WILLIAM AND EFOLIA, HIS THREE SISTERS DOLLIE JONES, OLLIE LETBETTER AND CAROLYN MADDEN. HE WILL BE FOREVER MISSED. TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD.

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

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