Madigan, Robert Irving 93, a longtime resident of Montgomery, died peacefully on March 30, 2019 after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Timothy Irving and Gladys Walsh Madigan. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lucia Penteado Madigan; his son, Tom Madigan; and his two daughters, Elaine Phillips (Pat Phillips) and Teresa Watkins (Keith Watkins) all of whom live in Montgomery. “Poppa” was very proud of his two grandchildren, Emily Holcombe (Patrick Holcombe) of Nashville, Tennessee and Scott Watkins (Jenny Watkins) of Greenville, South Carolina, and his 5 great grandchildren (Gage, Noah and Hazel Watkins; and Will and Benjamin Holcombe). He is also survived by his beloved only sibling, Rita Goode who resides in Minnesota and her two sons Ed and Tim Lyons. Robert (Bob) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 14, 1925. His early schooling took place in Minnesota. He proudly served his country during World War II in the 3rd Division, U. S. 8th Air Force, 336th Bomb Squadron from November 9, 1943 to April 14, 1946 as a tail gunner in a B-17, stationed in Horam, England. After the war, he spent some time in South Dakota and then graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950. After he and his Brazilian born wife, Lucia, were married he taught English at the Bi-National Cultural Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil for several years. He received his master’s degree in Linguistics at Indiana University in 1958. In 1959 Robert moved with his family to Montgomery where he worked for 26 years as a linguist at the Air University’s Academic Instructor and Allied Officer School (AIAOS) at Maxwell Air Force Base. During those years he taught foreign military students from over 50 countries. He and Lucia were known for their quarterly picnics and barbecue dinners held at their home for these foreign military officers. Robert loved teaching and foreign languages (and he spoke several including Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian along with some knowledge of Russian and Chinese). In 1970 he received the Order of Santos Dumont in Silver for outstanding service rendered to Brazilian military personnel who attended the AIAOS School. He made presentations and gave briefings on international topics during his time at Maxwell AFB. He loved his work and the international contacts he developed over the years. Several of his students remained in touch with him for years after their stay in the U.S.
Robert (Bob) loved art, music, and books and participated in a local Montgomery art group painting scenes of historic sights and areas around the city. He sang in the choirs of a couple of Catholic churches over the years. He was the consummate gentleman and supreme negotiator. Bob was extremely proud of his Irish heritage with an incredible smile, sense of humor, patience, and loyalty to family and country that will always be remembered.
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