Karen Rae Madden

Karen was born in 1943 to Rev. Belno and Frieda Lange in Aurora Illinois. When Karen was a baby, the family moved to Stockton. Her father had received a call to minister at the newly founded St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church.

Karen attended Lincoln High School. There she was a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen and made enduring friendships. She also studied and taught ballet. Karen was crowned Miss Stockton in 1961 and graduated Stockton College in 1963. Karen then went on to work as a flight attendant for United Airlines.

In 1964 she married Louis "Tom" Madden who served as a Stockton city council member. He later went on to become the first publicly elected mayor of Stockton in 1975. Stockton is where Karen and Tom raised their two children, Wendy and Thomas. They cherished 34 years of marriage until husband Tom’s death in 1999.

During their marriage Karen worked for financial service firms. The majority of her career was spent at Merrill Lynch, providing her with many friendships and 27 years of rewarding service.

Karen led an active and fulfilling life. She was involved with various charitable organizations, she played tennis, she enjoyed bowling, she danced, attended UOP games, played in family softball games, traveled and vacationed with friends, hosted late-night card parties, and cheered on her favorite teams – the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland (LA, LV) Raiders.

Karen was happiest when entertaining and went out of her way to make holidays special. She loved Christmas most and relished the opportunity to wear a creative costume every Halloween!

In 2005, after battling breast cancer and retiring from Merrill Lynch, Karen moved to her new home: The Villages in Florida. There she began a new chapter and continued to entertain, dance, travel, and make new friends. During this period, she met her very dear friend Ron Monson. The couple made annual trips to California to catch a Giants’ game, visit Lake Tahoe and Pajaro Dunes, and spend time with Tom in San Francisco.

In 2008 Karen was thrilled to become a grandmother to Alexa - Wendy & Alex’s daughter. She made bi-annual visits to New York for Halloween and Alexa’s birthday for as long as she was able.

In 2019 Karen’s health began to fail and she moved back to Stockton. She lived out the remainder of her life at Rio Las Palmas.

Karen is preceded in death by her husband Tom Madden and her siblings Belno Lange Jr., Betty West, Robert Lange, and Richard Lange. She leaves behind her son Thomas, daughter Wendy, son-in-law Alex, and granddaughter Alexa, as well as a large extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews, and their children & grandchildren.

She will be greatly missed.

Karen’s life will be celebrated Saturday July 8th, 2023, from 11:00-3:00 at De Young Memorial, Shoreline.