Chelsea Rhea Maddux Laney, loving daughter, mother, treasured friend, and devoted teacher passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 surrounded by her loving family and special friends.
Family, friends, neighbors, students, and co-workers are invited to celebrate Chelsea’s life at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, September 13, 2014 atTurrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas with Pastors Harry Long of McKinney and Robin Horne of Odessa officiating. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. The family will be honored if Head for the Cure supporters wear their Sweet Chelsea team t-shirt or cruise attire for one of Chelsea’s favorite adventures.
Chelsea was born at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital on June 14, 1979, to Patsy Rainwater-Maddux and Ronnie Maddux. After moving from Garland to San Angelo in 1982, Chelsea attended public schools in San Angelo. She played on the Bobcat Varsity Tennis team throughout high school and participated in the YMCA cheerleader and Tri-Hi-Y programs. Chelsea graduated from Angelo State University in May 2011, with a degree in marketing. She was vice president of Delta Zeta Sorority where she formed many lasting friendships.
Following graduation, Chelsea moved to Irving to begin a marketing career. Six months later she returned to school for an alternative education teaching certificate to pursue her passion of elementary education. Chelsea worked two jobs and attended classes to achieve her new goal. During this time, Chelsea met and married her husband Spencer Laney in Dallas. The following year the Laney couple moved to McKinney after the birth of their first child, Logan, and welcomed their second child Catelyn in March 2006. Chelsea’s favorite pastimes were watching Logan at his baseball games, Catelyn in the dance studio, traveling with her family, and hearing stories the children shared from their camping experiences at Sky Ranch.
Other surviving family members include her Aunt Jean Hamilton of Odessa, Uncle Keith and Peggy Maddux of Wink; cousins Deanne Hamilton of Odessa; Joie Hamilton of Houston; Stacy Richardson and husband David and children Shelbi and Hollis of Wink; Stephanie Martin and husband Shayd and children Lane, Cade, Ean, and Shelly of Midland; mother-in-law Carol Ezzell Keese of Richardson; sister-in-law Stacy Laney of Dallas; great-grandmother Gertrude Ezzell of Richardson; father-in-law Barry Coakley and Joan; extended family members Bob Thayer of Houston, Cheryl Hutchinson of Odessa; McClure Elementary, the Taylor Dance Center, and Ridgecrest neighbors; special Delta Zeta Sorority sisters, Katie Thompson Manning of Rockwall and Kami Fuller, and two dogs Maddie and Penny.
The McKinney resident touched many lives during her 35 years of life: as a teacher in Irving and McKinney at Valley Creek and McClure Elementary and as a cancer survivor who fought a courageous battle for over three years until her unexpected death. Only days after being diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2011, Chelsea saw a neighbor’s posting on Facebook about the first Head for the Event Cure event in Frisco to raise money for research. After Chelsea posted that she wanted to join a team, the Sweet Chelsea team was organized. Chelsea walked with her 186 teammates as they approached the finish line during the inaugural event, six days following brain surgery in May. At the 5K run the Head for the Cure organization honored Chelsea as one of the Keeping the Faith Award recipients. Chelsea never asked “why me?” Instead, she seized the opportunity to teach her students how to live with life’s challenges, especially during her Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream” lesson. She told her students that her dream was that a cure could be found for cancer during her lifetime.
The family greatly appreciates individuals and organizations who have supported the Laney family: Dr. Bruce Mickey, Dr. Elizabeth Maher, Dr. Robert Hogan, and research coordinator Sara McNeil at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dr. Raymond Sawaya at MD Anderson in Houston;and baseball coach and friend Gavin Constantine and his wife Corina.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Head for the Cure in honor of the Sweet Chelsea Team at 2020 Baltimore, Suite 201, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, www.headforthecure.org/foundation/memorials or a favorite charity of your choice.