Jeanette Sue Madsen, 78, of Goldendale passed away peacefully with family at her bedside on March 18, 2023. She was the oldest of three children born in Trinidad, Colorado, to Eddie Wilson and Hazel (Egley) Wilson on January 9, 1945.
Her Grandpa Egley nicknamed her Susie, as she was known to family. The Wilsons moved to La Junta, Colorado, when she was 10 years old. She married Dale Corbin and had Peggy Sue, Rick, and Daniel Lee.
Jeanette was strong and determined to make a good life for her family. She earned her GED and Nursing Assistant Certificate in 1969. She got her LPN degree at the Mennonite School of Nursing in La Junta, Colorado. Later, she was in the first RN class to graduate from Otero Junior College in 1980 with a 4.0 GPA.
She was married to Don Cobb from 1968 to 1990, and they lived on a farm in Swink, Colorado. In November of 1990, she married her high school sweetheart, Larry Madsen, and moved to Wishram, Washington, where they lived with his youngest children, Bryan and Hannah. Jeanette worked for KVH as an RN at the hospital in Home Health. There was much frustration with the lack of consistent hospice services from out of town, so she rallied the Home Health staff. With help from her co-workers and good friend, Kitt Tallman, they worked with the financial director at the hospital to write a grant to start a hospice service at KVH. It was a great honor and blessing that she received wonderful care from KVH Hospice for the last month of her life.
After Larry passed away in 2009, their golf friends introduced her to Jim Wallace. He was Mom’s sweetheart and dedicated companion through her difficult journey with Alzheimer’s.
Jeanette is survived by her daughter, Peggy Sue Romero; son Rick Corbin (Janet); sister Barbara Wookey; and sister-in-law Connie Wilson; grandchildren Bambi Gunnels; Jake Gunnels, Nathaniel Salazar, Daniel Salazar, Rebekah Romero, and Leah Guerrero; 12 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and members of the Corbin, Cobb, Madsen, and Wallace families.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Eddie and Hazel Wilson; husband Larry Madsen; brother Bill Wilson; son-in-law Lawrence Romero; grand-daughter McKenzie Corbin; and infant son, Daniel.
Jeanette loved holidays, spending time with her family, golfing, bowling, traveling, cooking, playing cards including bridge, going to Vegas, and playing at the casinos.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to KVH Hospice. A celebration of life will be held at the Goldendale American Legion on Broadway on March 25, 2023, starting at 11 a.m.
Jeannette had chosen cremation, and there will be a graveside service in La Junta, Colorado, for interment of her ashes at a later date.