Edward Perryman Maddox, Iii D.V.M

Former Decatur resident, Edward P. “Doc” Maddox III D.V.M., 91, went to be with his Lord on Monday, June 16, 2014 in Kingwood, Texas.

Funeral is 10 a.m. Friday, June 20, 2014 at the First United Methodist Church with burial at 2 p.m. in Greenwood Cemetery in Fort Worth. Family will receive friends 6 - 8 p.m. Thursday at Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home.

Rev. Brian Bosworth will officiate. Pallbearers are Gene Morrison, Richard Livingston, Brayton Morrison, Veron Parsons, Drew Bruton, Bill Adams, Clyde Holt, and Jerry Geiger. Honorary pallbearers are the Wise County Veterans Group.

Doc was born August 2, 1922, into a Fort Worth pioneer family. The Maddox family owned and operated Crystal Pure Milk and Ice, which was the first modern ice and milk plant in Fort Worth. After the Civil War, the Maddox brothers came to Fort Worth and served vital roles such as sheriff, fire chief, police chief, and county tax assessor-collector for landowners.

Like his father before him, he graduated from R.L. Paschal High School in Fort Worth where he lettered in football. Dr. Maddox was also a proud graduate of Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine where he had served as president of his senior class. He served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII as a second lieutenant.

In 1961, Doc was appointed by Gov. Allen Shivers to a term on the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners where he helped set up the first state board director.

He was the first licensed veterinarian to practice in Mineral Wells (Palo Pinto County), Weatherford (Parker County), and Decatur (Wise County). The first 20 years of his career, Doc served the four county areas as a dairy practitioner in an ambulatory practice, where he traveled to local dairies, farms, and ranches to care for cattle on site. During his last 20 years of veterinarian service, he worked as Livestock Market Veterinarian for 10 different Texas markets and 4 more in Southern Oklahoma.

Doc was a lifetime member of the Fort Worth Botanical Garden Society. He served 2 terms as president of the Fort Worth Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution, Maj. K.M. Vanzandt Chapter #6. He was also a charter member of the Wise County Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans and a member in good standing of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars for descendants of officers during the Civil War.

Doc was proud to serve as president for both the Fort Worth Cactus and Succulent Society and the Texas Association of Cactus and Succulent Societies. He was also a long time member of the Lions Club in Decatur. One of his many hobbies included hunting and collecting cacti in the wild, which resulted in a hot house collection of over 200 different species of North, Central, and South American species of cacti that he later donated to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. As a scuba diver, Doc collected seashells from the coral reefs of Belize, Costa Rica and from around the world. He generously donated his seashell collection to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens for permanent public display. Doc also collected stone weapons and artifacts of early American man and he owned an extensive collection of arrow heads, ceremonials, and burial pieces of flint and stone. Doc authored three books; "Cow Veterinarian, It's Great," "10,000 Miles Hunting Cactus in Texas," and "Sticks and Stones: Man's First Weapons And The Man That Made Them."

He was preceded in death by his wife, Movelda (Holt) Maddox; son, Edward Perryman Maddox, IV; stepson, John Van Etton; and a brother and sister.

Left behind to cherish his memory are his daughter, Celia Ann (Maddox) Parsons  and husband Veron of Temple; 3 granddaughters, Kara Dunphy and husband Kevin of Cary, NC, Lorelei Livingston and husband Richard of Belgium, and Natasha Morrison and husband Gene of Kingwood; great grandchildren, Brittany, Jessica, Geoffrey, Brandon, Brayton, Maddox and Gage; daughter-in-law, Anita Maddox of Houston; other relatives and a host of friends.

Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home Decatur, Texas  940/627-5959

In lieu of sending flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to Lewy Body Dementia. An organization, that provides much needed research for dementia patients. You can mail your gift to, Lewy Body Dementia @ 912 Killian Hill Rd, S.W. Liburn, GA  30047 or online @ www.lbda.org.