James Maddox

James F. Maddox 1919-2017

Jim Maddox has gone to be with his beloved wife Adele at age 98. He lived a full life, with seven children, and more than 40 grandchildren and great-children. His children include William, Mark, Molly (Dalton), Kate, Becky (Baker), Jack, and Jane. Jim was born in Northport, WA, grew up on a small farm in Kettle Falls, WA; and became the first in the Maddox family to attend college, graduating from Washington State College with honors, as an Agricultural Chemist.

He was recruited by Dow Chemical, and went to work for Dow in Ludington, MI, where he first met Adele while working in the labs. During WWII he served as a Navy radar and sonar technician in the Pacific. He was assigned to the cruiser Minneapolis, and travelled to China, where the ship participated in returning soldiers home. After the war, he moved to Midland to work for Dow Chemical. He contacted Adele, who had lost her first husband in the war, and they were married in 1947.

At Dow, Jim’s restless quest for new challenges took him from agricultural chemistry to plant design and engineering, to plant management, and then operations management. Jim worked for Dow for 40 years, and travelled to more than twenty countries during his employment, including a two year post as Resident Manager for Dow New Zealand. He also developed an interest in free-market economic theory, and formed the Economics Research Group (“ERG”) with friends in Midland.

Dad was always interested in exploring new things, designing and building in his spare time. These interests ranged from designing and assisting the construction of the family home on Cruz Drive, to building a stereo system and speakers in the 1950’s, to building a 33 ft sailboat with the help of his children, naming it MaKaRaJa after his four daughters. He designed and built much of his own retirement home in Ludington.

After retirement, he moved to Ludington and built a home on the lake where he lived with Adele for nearly 30 years. He traded in the MaKaRaJa for the Tangaroa, a more comfortable cruising sailboat. Prior to the development of GPS, he learned how to use the far more complex LORAN system for navigation on the Great Lakes. Jim took summer voyages with Adele on the Great Lakes, making three trips to the North Channel. The family enjoyed many visits with them in Ludington, and sailing trips in the summer.

Dad never stopped learning new things, and always encouraged his children to do the same. When he set his mind to accomplishing a new goal, he always went after it in full, and accomplished it. He was very proud of the fact that he sent all of his children to college, and very proud of their accomplishments in many different areas. Although he always said Adele raised the kids and he “brought home the bacon”, he cared deeply for his family.

The Maddox family is especially grateful to the staff of Kalkaska Memorial Assisted Living for their care of their father during his last years.

Memorial services will be held at St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church in Kalkaska on November 30, at 11 AM. The family will greet friends starting at 10am. There will be a dinner after the service. He will be laid to rest alongside Adele in Ludington. Memorial donations can be made to Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, MI, or Heartland Hospice of Northwest Michigan in Traverse City, MI. Please visit www.lifestorytc.com to sign the guest book and share your thoughts and memories with the family.