Obituary: Othal “O.C.” Madden Jr.

Othal “O.C.” Madden Jr., a Lubbock layman who served on numerous Texas Baptist boards and committees, died Aug. 29 in Tyler. He was 86.

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Othal “O.C.” Madden Jr., a Lubbock layman who served on numerous Texas Baptist boards and committees, died Aug. 29 in Tyler. He was 86. He was born Oct. 21, 1934, in Hamlin to Othal C. and Ann Robert Madden, but his family moved to Lubbock when he was a baby. He began his lifelong association with First Baptist Church in Lubbock when he was placed on the Cradle Roll as an infant. He graduated from Lubbock High School in 1953 and enrolled in Texas Tech to study accounting. During his third semester at Texas Tech, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was sent to Ft. Benning for basic training and then deployed with the 8th Infantry Division in Ft. Carson, Colo. When he later was transferred to a post in Jacksonville, Fla., he served as a clerk in an executive officer’s command station. Because of his professionalism and attention to detail and protocol, he was selected as the dedicated driver and attendant to President Dwight Eisenhower when he was on station. Upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Madden returned to Texas Tech to complete his studies, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He went on to become a certified public accountant and held membership in Texas and New Mexico professional organizations for more than 50 years. He married Shirley Bellar on May 22, 1959, at First Baptist Church in Lubbock, where he later served as a deacon and a fourth-grade Sunday school teacher, as well as working in many other areas of church life. Through the years, he served in many volunteer capacities with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, including its Executive Board and finance committee, as well as with Texas Baptist Men. He was preceded in death by a son, Charles. He is survived by his wife of more than 62 years, Shirley Bellar Madden; son O.C. III and his wife Lara; daughter K’Lin Noble and her husband Jeff; five grandchildren; and a brother, Robert Madden.


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