Cindy E. Walraven

In her honor there will be a Visitation/ BBQ to celebrate Cindy and share stories about her life. This will be held on July 12 from 11-3 in Bloomington, IL. Please RSVP to Max at 802-735-7547 for details about the memorial. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the family ℅ the Runge Mortuary in Davenport, Iowa.

Cindy came into this world with a smile on her face and a gleam in her eye on September 8, 1957, in Germany as her father Don Johnson, Sr. was serving in the Air Force and was living there with her mother Joyce (Billerbeck) Johnson.

Already a world traveler, she returned with her family to the south end of Peoria when she was all of one year old. About a year after that her brother Don Johnson, Jr. was born. While they did not always get along growing up, they became close friends in adulthood - relying on each other, watching football, cooking holiday meals and sharing several adventures.

In 1992, Cindy met the love of her life, Sandy Madsen at “The Q” in Peoria. Sandy took one look at those big blue eyes and was lost in them. They moved to Rock Island together in 2007. Cindy and Mae cherished every moment they had with each other and would leave cute little notes for each other around the house, especially if one of them was going to be away for a while.

Being a grandmother was one of the great joys of her life. Cindy helped raise her grandchildren Bryant Walraven and Trace Smith. She loved both of them with all of her heart and could talk to anyone for hours about her grandsons. One might say they brought out her playful and joyous side, unless they saw her at other times and knew how playful and joyful she was. She loved her grandsons dearly and thought about them every day, even when they moved far away. She really wanted them to find the good things in life.

Cindy owned and operated her own painting company for over 40 years and worked throughout the Quad Cities, Central Illinois as well as Key West, FL. Her Nephew “lil Don” spent some summers off of college working on some of her painting jobs and he still talks fondly about the fun that they had together.

Cindy loved chocolate, zombies, corndogs and cocktails. She loved to bake and she made sure every Christmas that everyone got a tray of her cookies and her world renowned caramels. She was not someone who waited for adventure - she always wanted to make little everyday moments into an adventure. She had eyes that held the wisdom of 1,000 sunsets and a smile that whispered hope to everyone that she met along the way. Truly a loving soul who cared deeply for those she loved.

Cindy loved her family above all else.

Those left to cherish her memory include her loving wife of 32 years, Sandy Madsen; her brother, Don Johnson, Jr.; her grandsons, Bryant Walraven and Trace Smith; her favorite nephew, “Lil Don” Johnson, and his wife, Max Stroud, and their two children, Connor and Russell Henson Stroud; her father, Don Johnson, Sr. (Joan); and her father-in-law, Jerry Schriber. She is also survived by her siblings-in-law, Kim (Larry) Gentry, Sue Madsen, Lisa Madsen, and Daniel (April) Madsen; nieces, Sarah, Lauren and Rachel; and son-in-law, Michael Johnson. Also, her cherished friends: Cindy, Deb, Peg and Schoop, Mey, Suzie and Jolinda, Brenda, and Amanda; and special cousins and special neighbor, Charlene Crosby.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Joyce Schriber; uncles, Ron and Bruce Billerbeck;and her maternal and paternal grandparents.