Richard Martin Madden

SIDNEY--Richard Martin Madden of Sunflower Lane, Sidney, Maine passed away at home after a difficult illness. He was born some 80 years earlier at the Eastern Maine General Hospital in Bangor at 3:08 PM on May 26, 1942, as the first child of a very proud Lawrence Latham Madden and a very relieved Shirley Justine (Drew) Madden. Grandparents Dr. Martin C. Maddan, Fern (Gould) Maddan, Judson Drew and Myrtle (Blizard) Drew were beaming.

At a young age he traumatized them all by falling out the back door of the family car onto the County Road in Milford while trying to dispose of an apple core. While the frequent retelling of the story during holidays or in the presence of apples suggests the parents struggled with it, he woke up a few days later and seemed to get over it, perhaps with the help of his pet raccoon, Johnnie, who used to ride around on his shoulder before people would report you for such things. He was active in scouting, raced in the 1952 Old Town Soap Box Derby, was chosen to speak at the Jr. Speaking Exhibition in 1958, and graduated from Old Town High School, class of 1960. He then stepped out into the world by enlisting in the Army for 36 months where he served honorably in the 4th Ordnance Co. Although he was temporarily blinded by paint flecks under his contacts while scraping the barracks, he recovered and spoke fondly of his time in the service. While stationed in Germany he toured Europe by car and had the 35mm Kodak slides to prove it. He also spoke highly of South Korea where he worked on a then-new missile base, although he shared with family there wasn't a missile in the country they could get in the air in less than a week.

After military service he briefly moved back to Old Town where he had the first 1965 Ford Mustang in town. He soon moved to Connecticut for a machinist's job at Pratt and Whitney. There, he met, and married Brenda Mary Cadett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Cadett. They were married on Sat., August 13, 1966 at St. Joseph's Church, Meridan, Ct. From this union he had his only son, Eric Richard Madden, grandsons Eric, Andrew, Brandon, and Nathaniel, and great-grandchildren Sophia, Owen, and Raelynn.

In 1970, he moved back to Maine where he first took machinists work, and later worked for a SeviceMaster franchise in Bangor. There he met and married Megan M. Flanagan in 1980. They owned and operated a ServiceMaster franchise in Augusta for several years providing excellent service and employment opportunities for many.

Upon retiring, Richard moved to Ward Pond in Sidney. There are many photos in carefully arranged albums of grandchildren in canoes and family moments at the pond. His interest in genealogy was clear from the ancestors on the wall watching it all, and from records in the bookcase. He spent many hours traveling the state and visiting cemeteries researching the family history.

In addition to his wives, son, and grandchildren, Richard is survived by younger brothers Michael and Keith Madden, daughter-in-law Lisa (Purcell), grand-daughter-in-law Sarah (Willis), and great-aunt, Anne B. Gould.

Richard was a hard worker, very well-read, and conversant on most any subject or current event. He enjoyed antiques and art. His neighbors all speak of his genial nature and kindness, and if the neighbors say it, it must be obvious and true. In 1956 he wrote a letter to his aunt Anne to say, "This week-end, Dad, Ken, and I went to Moosehead Lake. We caught 9 fish and a cold." He knew at an early age you have to take the good with the bad and just call it an adventure.

Graveside services with military honors will be conducted 11AM Friday September 2, 2022 at Lawndale Cemetery, Old Town. Anyone wishing to honor Richard's life could probably best do so by giving a child a book to help them develop a love of reading and learning to enrichen their lives.