Obituaries

I remember Renate as a vivacious, warm-hearted, and positive person full of energy. It was always a joy to meet her. My heart is saddened by your loss and my thoughts are with you.

Our condolences to all the members of Renate's family and to her friends. We recently heard the sad news. Renate was our neighbor "across the street" for almost 30 years. As the obituary so well describes her, she was a wonderful conversationalist, engaging and a very good neighbor over the decades. We enjoyed sharing our extra garden produce with her and she shared her delicious jam. Renate brightened our neighborhood with her vitality and she brightened our lives. With our deepest sympathy.

I enjoyed getting to know Renate and playing bridge with her. She had a sharp mind and outgoing manner. My deepest sympathy to all of her family.

Renate was such an outgoing person. I enjoyed playing bridge with her both in her home when she was confined with a broken leg and also monthly at Maple Bluff. She was a good friend.

Unfortunately, another very lovely and unique lady has been called from our midst. We have had the great pleasure and honor of knowing Dr. Renate Madsen and her late husband, Dr. Paul Madsen for many decades. Dr. Madsen was a very kind and loving person to all who was respected and endeared by others. During her many years of being an excellent anesthesiologist she greatly helped a number of patients, that number known only by God. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Madsen family. Francis & Rosie McMahan

I got to know Renate through the XYZ group at Bethel. She was a nice, interesting lady. She always had a few
questions for me. My condolences to her family.

To Thomas, Karin and Annette, I am so sorry to hear about your mom's passing. I remember you all going back to Heidelberg each summer and bringing back the best gummy bears to share with the neighbors. I also remember Karin giving me a pair of grey lederhosens that I probably wore every day that summer. Thanks for the memories and again, I'm sorry about your mom's (and dad's) passing. Congrats on the kids and grandkids! Jenny Jefferds

Sending our condolences in the name of my mother, Brigitte Haake, a traveling companion over calm waters.

My condolences go to Renates children Thomas, Karin and Annette and to all her families and friends. I became very saddened when the news reached me recently. Renate and I considered us friends even though our relationship is rather unusual. We last saw each other about 75 years ago. We took dancing lessons together in Heidelberg when she was 15 and I was 17 years old. We liked each other. Nothing became of it because I already had a girlfriend who I later married. At the time I had also briefly met Renates parents and her brother Reinhard who was in my school. I lost track of Renate for many decades until Reinhard sent me a note almost 70 years later in 2014 through the high school message system. Hello Joachim, sei gegrüßt von Reinhard; Hello Joachim, greetings from Reinhard. That was all. Through the same system I send him a full-page email back, Eine Stinme aus der Vergangenheit; a voice from the past. I asked him, if you have a sister by the name of Renate, then we know each other. And I told him a little about my life. Nothing happened. But a full year later I received an email from Renate. We became writing buddies with a letter typically every two months. It turns out that her life and mine took similar turns with immigration to the USA at about the same time. She studied medicine and with her husband she ended up at the University of Wisconsin. I studied physics and with my family I ended up at the University of Michigan. We had many things to talk about, the families, life in a senior home, the past including the difficult WW2 years. Not too long ago I saw an email in my inbox. I was sitting down in anticipation. And then I learned the sad news. At old age your friends die.