Mrs. Dorothea M. Madison

Calling hours for Mrs. Dorothea M. Madison, age 88 of Potsdam, NY, will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 from 4 –7pm at the Garner Funeral Home in Potsdam, NY. Burial will be held Wednesday, March 21, 2012, at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Contributions in her memory can be made to the St. Lawrence NYSARC @ 6 Commerce Lane Canton, NY 13617. Dorothea passed away on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at the Highland Nursing Home in Massena where she had been a resident for some time. Condolences online can be sent @www.garnerfh.com.

She is survived by her sons Paul Madison of Ogdensburg, NY and Kurt Madison of the Northeast Kingdom, VT; daughter Christine Sullivan of Saranac Lake, NY; grandchildren Caitlin Sullivan, Laura and Paige Madison and Daniel, Sarah and Susan Madison. She is also survived by her brother Jack Coffey of St Augustine FL, and several nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her husband Leroy A. Madison in July 2010, whom she married in May 1944. She was also pre-ceased by her brother, Jim.

Dorothea M. Madison was born April 12, 1923, in New York City to John Coffey and Elizabeth Caddell. She attended schools in New York City, and was a Cum Laude graduate in the first class to graduate from Andrew Jackson High School in Rosedale. She worked for the US War Department during World War II followed by Liberty Mutual and other companies. She retired from SUNY Potsdam after a twenty year career as an administrative assistant in the Art Department, Biology Department and in the Resource Center. She served as President of the Parent Teacher Association in North Bellmore, NY, and was an active union representative for CSEA during her tenure at SUNY. She was a dedicated volunteer for NYSARC, participating in many fund raisers and supported the Special Olympics. All of these activities she undertook while caring for her husband and raising her children, as a full time homemaker.

She was an avid reader and learner all her life, completing several courses at SUNY over her career. She was an accomplished seamstress who also loved to knit and crochet. She loved to create clothing for her grandchildren, and especially enjoyed crocheting baby “sets” which she gave to many of her friends and co-workers. She enjoyed gardening and was proud of her flowers. Dorothea loved spending time with her husband and family. She enjoyed walking and camped many summers with her family in the Adirondacks, and toured the West with her husband in their trailer. She was a kind and generous person, and most of all, a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother whose easy smile and vivacious personality endeared her to all.

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