Madge Darnell McKinney Lankford, 76, passed away on Jan. 4, 2026, in Nashville after a lengthy battle with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
She is survived by her daughter, Deanna Lankford, and wife, Laurie Holloway, of Nashville, who cared for her at their home through her illness; her sister-in-law, Bonnie McKinney of Louisville; and many special nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Madge was born July 30, 1949, in Carthage, Tenn., where she met the love of her life, Roger Key Lankford of Difficult, Tenn. They married in 1967, and in 1973 started Lankford Heating & Air, which they operated for more than 25 years in Carthage and Lebanon.
She was an independent and strong-willed woman, refusing to bow to terminal cancer for much longer than her team at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center expected. The family is deeply grateful to everyone at VICC, Alive Hospice, and Suncrest Home Health.
Among the things she loved deeply and unconditionally: Roger and their only child, Deanna, as well as her extended family; every dog, cat, and other animal she saw, Elvis; Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream; the beach; bingo; the NBA; watching her nephews drag-race; Harley-Davidson motorcycles; her friends at The Pavilion; pizza with black olives and extra cheese; and jigsaw puzzles.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Roger; parents, Mavis Bowman McKinney and Albert (Bud) McKinney; brothers David Wayne McKinney and Troy Hiett; and sisters Aline Hiett, Mildred Ann McKinney Brown, and Jean McKinney Culbreath. Special family, Ann and Darlene Jacobs-Anderson and Bruce and Linda Boeko will forever be in our hearts for their loving help as we walked this difficult path.
Visitors are invited to drop by anytime between 1-3 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Holiday Inn Express, located at 826 S. Cumberland St., Lebanon, Tenn., to celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to non-profit Smith County Humane, because Madge was incensed that the county has no animal shelter. SCH can be reached at P.O. Box 74, Carthage, TN 37030, phone 615-735-7028, email [email protected]
Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned and operated.
This obituary was published by Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services.
This obituary was published by Obituaries provided free for the community.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
