Dolores Elizabeth Madden

Dolores Elizabeth Madden, age 94, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2025, at the home she shared with Donna and Steve Russell in Westminster, Colorado, surrounded by family. She was born on April 2, 1931, to Joseph and Helen Prokott of Morrison County, Minnesota. Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Joseph and Jerome (who passed away in early childhood), brother Bob Prokott, sisters Rita Baron, Marge Lehrke and Jeanette Webb, John, her husband of nearly 70 years, children Mary and David (who passed away in infancy) and daughter Jo Turner (Kevin). She is survived by her sister Dorothy Corser, son John (Theresa Greiner), daughters Patty (John Harding), Sue (Allen Oberlander), Donna Russell (Steve) and Sandy, and grandsons Jesse (Pat Shiu) and Jackson, as well as in-laws Marlene Prokott and Herb Webb and many nieces and nephews.

Dolores was raised on the family farm, working hard with her siblings, milking cows, digging up potatoes and often getting pranked by her older brother. After graduating high school, Dolores moved to Minneapolis to work. In 1950, she and her sister Rita went to a dance, where she met John, then a student at the University of St. Thomas. This was the beginning of a lifetime of beautiful dancing together, from the Trocadero Ballroom in Denver to the Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz. They married on February 3, 1951, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Minneapolis. John soon reported for military service in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, stationed at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Dolores joined him there later that year and in May of 1952 their first child, John, was born. Upon discharge in 1953, they moved back to Minnesota where they brought Patty, Jo, Sue and Donna into the world. In 1962, they moved the family to El Paso, Texas where John began his career with Chevron Oil Company and Dolores took care of a house full of children (and was presented with the occasional lizard by said children). Later that same year, they were transferred to Colorado and Sandy joined the family in 1963. Treasured pets joined the household and brought joy and laughs. The years were filled with hard work, bridge nights with friends, school events and graduations, and family trips. In 1978, Dolores went back to work outside the home, also at Chevron, and she and John were transferred to northern California. The work was rewarding, and she made even more friends. Dolores finally learned to drive and enjoyed greater independence. Weddings and the arrival of grandchildren expanded the family. After retirement in 1992 Dolores and John decided to move back to Colorado.

The young family’s excursions ranged from day drives to the Rocky Mountains to family visits in the Midwest, from New York City and Washington D.C to California in new summer outfits. Dolores and John hosted many visitors, both family and friends, in Minnesota, Colorado and California. The kids moved away, but there were always some coming back for the holidays with their families (unless they were the ones traveling to see the kids who lived out-of-state). She and John always treasured visits from their grandchildren, and Dolores was able to see them not long before she passed.

Later trips to Minnesota often included attending family weddings. Dolores also enjoyed going on trips with her sisters, including to San Antonio and New York. Dolores and John enjoyed cruises to many amazing destinations, including Panama, Alaska and the Baltic Sea, which gave them more opportunities to dance. Massachusetts, Hawaii, Yellowstone and locations throughout Europe were among many other places they had the chance to experience. They were with Dolores’ family, on a trip that included visits to the family’s ancestral towns in Poland, when the September 11, 2001 tragedy occurred, which was a challenging time for everybody.

Dolores was a wonderful, loving daughter, wife, mother and grandmother. She was a caring friend and spent many afternoons in conversation over a cup of coffee or on the phone with loved ones. She was a very compassionate person, and she expressed that in her life and politics. She loved music and enjoyed the talented singers on The Voice. She was a Denver Broncos fan, and for the last several years she was an avid Denver Nuggets fan as well, although she liked cheering for Minnesota teams, too.

The loss of daughter Jo in 2010 was heartbreaking. The losses of so many of her siblings and friends in later years, and John, her lifelong companion, in 2020, were keenly felt by her, yet she still brought joy to everyone around her. She had many health challenges in her last years but, in addition to family, she was supported by a wonderful, caring group of medical professionals and aides, and the family will be forever grateful to them.

She was a lifelong Catholic and a member of Spirit of Christ Catholic Church. She often spoke about seeing beloved family members and friends who had already passed, and she’s with them now. She will be greatly missed.

Dolores’ service will be held on January 7, 2026, with the visitation at 10:00 am and funeral mass at 10:30 am, in the chapel at Spirit of Christ Catholic Church, 7400 W. 80th Ave., Arvada, CO 80003, followed by a reception. The burial will take place at Ft. Logan National Cemetery. The service will be live streamed. Go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnzQl_-BIYP9coeDfULqX_Q for the Spirit of Christ YouTube page, then look for the link to the Funeral Mass for Dolores Madden, which will be posted and active shortly before the service.

Donations can be made to the following organizations, or to a charity of your choice: American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org (click on the Give in Honor and Memorial button); Caruso Family Charities at https://www.carusofamilycharities.org (click on the Donate button); Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute Foundation https://www.rmleif.org/ (click on the Donate banner).