![]() Gerald Kay Madson, born March 21st, 1941, died at the age of 82 on December 12th, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Larimore, ND. Gerald, known as Jerry or “Hobie” to his family and friends, was born to Palmer and Aletta (Gilbertson) Madson. He was the youngest of seven children and grew up on his parents’ farm near Niagara, ND, where his passion for farming, repairing, and building began. He was baptized and cofirmed at Elk Valley Lutheran Church. Jerry attended the nearby country school and eventually Fordville High School where he graduated in 1961. Soon after graduation, he joined the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged due to a medical condition before he finished basic training. Jerry then operated an auto service station in Fordville for several years. On the weekends he met his friends at Bachelors Grove to enjoy music and dancing. There Jerry met the love of his life, Janet Stiles from Inkster, ND, and were married on September 12th, 1964. Jerry started farming in 1967; he and Janet raised four children, Shelly, Brian, Lisa, and Mark on a farm south of Fordville. He was a member of Fordville Lutheran Church and the American Legion, Rotnem Abel Post 274. Jerry was a wonderful husband, father, neighbor, and friend, who was known for his quick wit, generous smile, and kind heart. He was always cracking jokes, telling a story, or getting to know someone new; he never met a stranger. Jerry loved and took great pride in farming and being a part of a close-knit rural community. He also kept busy during the winter months with his sharpening business, upholstery work, and other projects that appealed to his tinkering nature. He enjoyed using his mind and hands to fix or create new things. Jerry and Janet have always loved children. Once their eldest children were grown, Janet started a home daycare, and over those 25 years, many children found a welcoming place on Jerry’s knee. Their home continued to be a place full of fun, love, and learning; they cared for the daycare kids as if they were their own. In 1998, Jerry retired from farming on his own and began working full-time for Kent and Lowell Whaley in Fordville. He was able to continue his passion for farming with people he knew well and cared for their farming operation as if it was his own. In his late retirement years, Jerry could also be found in his new shop where he tinkered on small projects and enjoyed visiting with anyone who stopped by. In the end, his retirement years were filled with joy and peace, where he really embraced the simpler things in life. He is survived by Janet, his wife of 59 years, and his children: Shelly (Dave) Voight, Brian (Roxanne) Madson, Lisa (Jason) Jacobs, and Mark (Trish) Madson; grandchildren: Jennifer (John) Wessels, Matthew (Autumn) Voight; Leah, Claire (Sam) Harris, Luke, Peter, Julia, Molly Madson; Phillip, James, Thomas, Andrew, Elizabeth Jacobs; Sophia, and Rowen Madson; great-grandchildren: John David Wessels; Olsen Voight; sisters: Dorothy Thoe and Geneva Flaaskog; sisters-in-law: Avis and Sylvia. He was preceded in death by his mother, Aletta Madson, his father, Palmer Madson, his brothers, James, Ronald, and Paul, sister, Vivian Behm and granddaughter Maria Madson. FUNERAL SERVICES: 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 18 in the Fordville Lutheran Church. VISITATION: Sunday, December 17 from 6-7 p.m. with a 7 p.m. prayer service held in the Fordville Lutheran Church. INTERMENT: Oak Grove Cemetery, Fordville.
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