Louise Maddux Rayburn

Louise Maddux Rayburn, wife of the late Judge Taylor Rayburn, Sr., passed away on October 5, 2010 surrounded by her loving family and caregivers. Born July 15, 1915 in Bon Air, Tennessee she was the daughter of the late Ralph Guest Maddux and Beulah Mae Roddy Maddux. The family moved to Columbia from Chattanooga when she was thirteen years old and she graduated from Columbia High School in 1933. She had many interests in life and she often said she was never bored a single day in her life. She loved sports and was a three year member of the CHS basketball team. She won many tennis trophies and was ladies champion of Maury County on several occasions. She was an avid Bridge player earning Master's level. She played often and made many good friends while pursuing this interest. She was interested in Democratic politics and while just in her early twenties she was elected women's division state vice-president for Middle Tennessee Young Democrats. According to the Daily Herald this was the first time an honor of this kind had come to Maury County. Having lived through The Great Depression she greatly admired President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and grieved for him when he died. Her husband, Judge Rayburn, was a kinsman of Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House of Representatives and better known as "Mr. Democrat." They visited "Mr. Sam" in Washington on several occasions and "Mr. Sam" visited his Columbia relatives at the Memorial Building in October 1960. She and Judge Rayburn also had the honor of meeting with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office of the White House while Judge Rayburn was in Washington on behalf of the Columbia Dam. She was a member of the APTA and the James K. Polk Association and numerous other charitable organizations. She worked tirelessly for fundraising events for the Catholic Church and lived to see the church progress from meeting in an old house on North High St. to the present beautiful building on Cayce Lane. She was a loving mother of her only two children, Dr. Taylor (Connie) Rayburn, Jr. and Mary Claire (Everett) Holzapfel and she was greatly loved and admired by them. Brothers and sisters who are all deceased are Robert L. Maddux, Ralph G. Maddux, Jr., Lewis W. Maddux and Mary Catherine "Kitty" Dealy Brown. She is also survived by grandchildren, Cindy Rayburn, Beverly Rayburn, Dr. Jennifer Rayburn, Holly Louise (David) Chase, Julie (Brooks) Loomis and Everett B. (Beth) Holzapfel, III and great-grandchildren Everett B. Gibson, III, Hannah McClure, Olivia McClure, Everett B. Holzapfel, IV, Graham M. Holzapfel, and Morgan Holzapfel. Visitation will be held from 5 until 8 p.m. Thursday at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home and a funeral mass will be held Friday, October 8 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church with Fr. Davis Chackaleckel officiating. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be Zeke Maddux, Bobby Maddux, Trey Gibson, Everett Holzapfel, III, Lewis Lynn Maddux, Everett B. Holzapfel, Jr. and Rick Rayburn. The family wants to give special thanks to Dr. William Robinson and Dr. Gaylon Harris and to Janice Teeples, Tina Hardison, Mildred Rodgers, Sherrell Hickman and the staff and nurses at Life Care Center of Columbia for their kindness and expertise. Special thanks also to Gloria O'Connor who gave communion to our mother every Friday. Memorials may be given to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1864 Columbia, TN 38402 or American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.