Roxanna Luttrell

Roxanna "Roxie" Caudell Luttrell, 68, of Iola, Kansas, passed away at home on the morning of August 15, 2026, surrounded by the family she loved so deeply. One of Roxie's final wishes was to spend her last days at home, and with the love and care of her family, she was able to do just that.

Roxanna was born April 14, 1958, in Fredonia, Kansas, to J.T. and Lois Caudell. She grew up in Iola in a home filled with music, love, and plenty of laughter. From an early age, Roxie was known as the free spirit of the family. Her brother, Rocky, still laughs about teachers telling him just how different he was from his sister, the one everyone knew as the headstrong one. That independent spirit never left her and was part of what made Roxie so wonderfully herself.

She graduated from Iola High School in 1976 and later spent 20 years working as a paraprofessional for the Iola School District. Roxie truly loved children, and children seemed to know they were safe with her. She had a special gift for reaching those who needed a little more patience, a little more love, or simply someone firmly in their corner. She was especially proud of advocating for children who had been through difficult things. For many of them, Roxie was far more than someone who worked at their school. She was someone who believed in them.

For Roxie, though, family was the center of everything. She loved hard, worried deeply, and showed up again and again for the people she loved. Her daughters, Erica and Courtney, knew exactly where they stood once the grandsons came along, and they jokingly said they had been "kicked to the curb." Keanen, Kane, Kole, and Isaac were her world. She celebrated their milestones, followed the details of their lives, and made it a point to be there for the games, the events, and all the moments that mattered to her boys.

So much of what her family will miss lives in the ordinary things that made life feel like Roxie: her smile, her laugh, holidays at her house, her deviled eggs, trips to Perdido Key, and the way a room simply felt happier when she was in it. She loved her cat, Monroe, loved playing Candy Crush, and never needed much of an excuse to gather the people she loved around her.

Roxie was loving, kind, joyful, strong, and, by her family's own admission, wonderfully stubborn. She believed deeply that family came first. One of her familiar sayings was, "Blood is thicker than water," and she lived those words. If someone she loved needed her, Roxie was there, with no hesitation and no questions asked.

On July 7, 2026, Roxie was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. The weeks that followed were incredibly difficult, but even then she remained completely herself. In tremendous pain, she still did not want the people around her to worry. She got up, fixed her hair, put on her makeup, got dressed, and found a smile for the people she loved. That was Roxie. Even while she was hurting, she was still trying to take care of everyone else. Her final weeks were spent surrounded by the family she had spent a lifetime loving so fiercely.

She is survived by her daughters, Erica Badders of Iola and Courtney Badders of Burlington; her four grandsons, Keanen Badders and wife Kourtlyn, their son Karter, and a new baby on the way, of Beebe, Arkansas; Kane Rogers and fiancée Banner of Roeland Park; Kole Rogers and wife Gabby, and their son Hudson, of Cabot, Arkansas; and Isaac Badders and wife Britain of Iola. She is also survived by her brother, Rocky Caudell; nephew, Jacob Caudell; nieces, Elissa and Dacyn Caudell of Independence, Missouri; her sister in law, Denise Waddle of Ottawa; and many other family members and friends who loved her deeply.

She was preceded in death by her parents, J.T. and Lois Caudell.

Roxie will be remembered most for the way she loved people and the way she showed up for them. She showed up for her family, for her grandsons, for children who needed someone to believe in them, and for the friends lucky enough to know her. She had a way of making people feel good simply by being near her. Her family will miss her laugh, her strength, her stubbornness, and the love she gave so freely. Most of all, they will miss her presence, because life truly was better when Roxie was in the room. The love she gave so generously will remain in the lives of everyone fortunate enough to have been loved by her.

A celebration of Roxie's life will be held on Saturday, August 29th at 10:00 am at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service in Iola, 1883 HWY 54, Iola, Kansas, with Luke Bycroft and Jared Ellis officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in honor of Roxie may be made to Luke's Legacy, Phoenix Foundation or ACARF, and left in the care of the funeral home.