Susan Theal Madden

Susan Theal Madden passed away on June 15, 2024, at Friendship Village, Kalamazoo. She is survived by her husband, I. Charles “Chuck” Madden; their children, Anne (Dana Morse) Madden, Berkeley, California, and Al Madden, Sacramento, California; sister-in-law, Gloria M. (Stephen) Carlson; two nieces, and a nephew.

Susan was born on April 2, 1932, in Nebraska to Charles W. and Berenice Theal.

Susan graduated from East High in Denver, Colorado, before receiving her B.S. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After graduation, she moved to Kalamazoo to work as a chemist for the Upjohn Company. While in Kalamazoo, she met and married Chuck, her husband of 64 years.

Supporting the community by sharing her time and talents was important to her. This included terms as president of Fernwood Botanical Garden, member of Cass County and Kalamazoo County Parks commissions, Edwardsburg School Board, Kalamazoo Newcomer’s club, Tri Delta alumnae, an Elder for both the First Presbyterian Church of South Bend, Indiana, and First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo, and many roles in her P.E.O. chapters.

Travel and tennis were also big parts of her life. Lifelong memories from sailing trips in the Caribbean, travel across Europe and the United States, visiting Egypt, sunny days spent in Mexico and family time “up north” and in California. Tennis included attending tournaments in New York, California, France, and Australia, plus years of volunteering for the Boys’ Junior National Tournament in Kalamazoo and the many friends she played with over the years.

Memorial gifts can be made to Fernwood Botanical Garden, Kalamazoo First Presbyterian Church, or P.E.O. A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 19, 2024, at 10:00 am at First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo, 321 W South St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.