Obituary of Leo William Madsen

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our dad, Leo William Madsen, on the morning of March 15, 2025.

Dad was born in the small town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan, on December 31, 1936, to his parents, Bill and Celina Madsen. He was the first of three children, followed by two younger sisters.

The family moved a number of times in the early years, eventually settling in Calgary, where Dad spent his teen years.

Dad met his lifelong love, Ruby Goldthorpe, and they married on June 14, 1954, at the tender age of 17. During the next several years in Calgary, they built and began raising a family of five children—four daughters and one son.

During that time, Dad began a career at Scott National Foodservice. He would stay with that company for 41 years until his retirement in 1997.

In 1970, Dad took a transfer to Cranbrook, B.C., where our family grew up. Mom and Dad would later move back to Calgary in 1989 to finish his career, but Cranbrook would always be home.

In 1997, Dad finally retired, and he and Mom returned to their home in Cranbrook to start their retirement. Tragically, only two years later, we would lose Mom to cancer.

With the support of family, Dad forged on and enjoyed many more years of retirement, including a commitment to daily exercise and building close relationships with his “coffee buddies,” whom he met with daily at the mall.

Sadly, in 2021, Dad would lose his second-oldest daughter, Debbie, to cancer while he, too, was battling the same disease.

Gladly, Dad would survive his bout with cancer twice and would continue to live his life in his own home up until his passing.

Dad enjoyed many years of camping, family gatherings, and great times with close friends. He was a lifelong Calgary Stampeders fan and enjoyed watching many other sports like curling and hockey.

For many years, Dad enjoyed singing and playing guitar and was often the life of every party he attended.

His greatest joy, however, was his family. He was tremendously proud of his five kids, 13 grandkids, and 11 great-grandkids.

His dedication and loyalty to his family were immeasurable, and his deep love and affection for Mom never diminished, even long after her passing.

They are finally reunited in the loving presence of Jesus.

Dad is survived by four of his children: daughters Terry (John) Forlin, Cathy Madsen, Karen (Roger) Ridge, and one son, Dan (Connie) Madsen, as well as one son-in-law, Greg Stein. He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, as well as one sister, Diane (Willie) DeGroot.

Dad was predeceased by his wife, Ruby, his daughter, Debbie Stein, his grandson, Jason Stein, his parents, Bill and Celina Madsen, and his sister, Joan Johnson.

A Celebration of Dad’s life will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2025, 2 pm at New Life Four Square Church (308 10th Ave. S. Cranbrook BC), with reception to follow.