Bonnie "Nana" Madden

Yvonne (Bonnie) Lorraine Madden, beloved wife, nurturing mom and “Nana” to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and infinitely talented hobbyist passed away at the age of 84 in Colorado on December 16, 2020.

Bonnie was born on April 10, 1936 to Bernard and Rose Marie (Corbat) Darland, in Merrill, Michigan. Bonnie loved sharing her stories of growing up on the farm in Merrill, and thrilled her children and grandchildren with her tales of caring for animals, creatively making the best of limited supplies and fashions, and, of course, making mischief with her sisters.

Bonnie married the light of her life, her soul mate Gil Madden, October 22, 1955. They raised two daughters, Julie and Jill, and two sons, Michael and Marc. Bonnie was the consummate homemaker, and used her unique resourcefulness to make life special for her kids and husband. While Gil traveled for work, Bonnie created adventures to channel her kids’ mischievous energy, and to satisfy her lifelong imaginative spunkiness. Between leading searches of their farm for cattails and other treasures, playing football with the kids, setting up elaborate tea parties and picnics, and encouraging voracious reading, Bonnie was a mom who built an expansive and imaginative world for her children. When Gil was home, Bonnie reveled in being a doting and beloved wife. She mastered her family’s favorite recipes, displayed impeccable taste in clothing and décor, loved to hear Gil’s tales of being on the road, and took great pride in supporting Gil’s career and creating a wonderful family together. Years later, she would delight in embarking on those same memorable adventures with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Bonnie’s love for adventure paired perfectly with Gil’s love for travel. The two escaped to the beach as often as they could, and Bonnie would sunbathe, write, or search for seashells while Gil practiced his famous back float. Bonnie was thrilled to welcome her kids and grandkids when they visited the beach, and always made a cozy home away from home with familiar touches and traditions.

Bonnie was an expert at making everything in her life beautiful. She passed on her love for music and theater by filling her home with various genres and musical scores. Anytime they could, Bonnie and Gil attended plays and musicals, and loved supporting the arts. When it came time for favorite holidays, she had notebooks full of decoration inspiration and plans collected from magazines and books, as well as hand drawn sketches of her decoration plans and tablescape ideas. Her gift-wrapping skills were unmatched, each gift resembling a piece of art which always included treasures found in nature. Bonnie’s love for nature also fueled her passion for gardening. Bonnie and Gil could make exotic flowers thrive in Colorado’s harsh climate, and of course, Bonnie’s garden plans were always impeccably planned in her drawings and notes.

Perhaps Bonnie’s greatest passion and skill was writing. Bonnie was masterful in multiple forms including poetry, short story, and memoir. She has countless journals filled with her writings. Her creativity, insight, diction, and passion would astound any reader, and her journal entries display remarkable self-reflection, wisdom, and an unparalleled depth of gratitude. Bonnie loved reading the works of great writers, transcribing her favorite passages into journals, and sharing the art form with her children and grandchildren. She truly was an artist at heart and to this day, Bonnie’s children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren carry on Nana’s quirky spirit, adventurous creativity, scrappy problem-solving, and love for what is beautiful, bizarre, and unique.

Bonnie was preceded in death by her husband Gilbert. Gil passed merely 8 weeks ago, and as soul mates, together they had truly become one. She is also preceded in death by her father Bernard, her mother Rose Marie, her grandson Griffin, and four siblings. She is survived by children Julie (Christopher) O’Toole, Michael (Johanna) Madden, Jill (Reginald) Dvorak, and Marc (D’Nette) Madden, 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 11 siblings.

Memorial donations may be made to the following organization which Bonnie loved:

Colorado Symphony at

1000 14th Street #15

Denver, CO 80202

Coloradosymphony.org