Thomas Obed Madden III's Obituary
Thomas Obed Madden, III, was born on August 17, 1946. He passed away on December 20, 2022, at Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, VA as a result of an intestinal infection and complications of Parkinson’s.
He is survived by his wife Evelyn; sons Thomas O. Madden, IV (Stacy), Anthony (Delores); daughter, Elisabeth Madden; stepson, Galen Spangler; siblings, Thomasene Madden Tarasuk, and William (Bill) Madden; brother-in-law, Raymond Ford (Donna); grandchildren, Thomas O. Madden, V, Lily and Alexis Madden; step-grandchildren Cameron, Alex, and Kaya Spangler; nephew, Paul J. Tarasuk and other relatives. Thomas was predeceased by his parents, Thomas O. Madden, Jr. and Hazel Madden, and stepson, Yuri Spangler.
Thomas was baptized at Precious Blood Catholic Church and attended Culpeper County schools until he transferred to St. Emma Military Academy in Powhatan, VA in the tenth grade. Thomas received a B.S. in math from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and attained a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His brief stint in the U.S. Air Force ended when he was honorably discharged to manage his family’s farming business for his ailing father. After his father’s health improved, Thomas was eager to resume and maintain his expertise as a Controls System Engineer for Honeywell, Inc. and later, Johnson Controls, so he completed advanced studies in Operations Research, Simulation & Reliability Theory at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He enrolled in many refresher technical courses at the University of Virginia, and he was gratified that he contributed thirty-five years of experience to major positions of responsibility managing all phases of PC-based control systems design. A sampling of his revered projects include: Direct Digital Control (DDC) testing and implementation for General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Defense (DoD), United States Air Force, Marine Headquarters and the Pentagon. He designed and managed a $300,000 automation system (Building 29) for NASA which houses systems to support the Hubbell Telescope. He was also the Lead Systems Engineer for installation of a $4,000,000 automation system at IBM Building 130 that manufactured state-of-the-art computer memory chips in Manassas, VA.
Thomas was an avid reader of science and history books and magazines. He enjoyed visiting museums and national parks, going deep sea fishing, riding tractors, watching PBS specials and old westerns, listening to classical and gospel music, keeping abreast of activities of the Montpelier Descendants Committee, and spending time with family. Interspersed among his wife’s many elephants, one could see his treasured collection of ducks and ships. Thomas had a great sense of humor and a special fondness for children and animals, especially his beloved Yoshon, Piper.
The family extends profound appreciation to caregivers Saidu Tarawallie, Gloria Edwards, Jennifer Tinsley, and Beth Spangler. Your sensitivity and dedication brightened his days, and he always looked forward to your visits and techniques of engagement that generated a few comical comments from him.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Thomas’ memory may be sent to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at www.michaeljfox.org/give or Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163-4777.
Services will be private and will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church. He will be buried at Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery in Lignum, VA.
An online guest book and tribute wall are available at www.foundandsons.com.
Found and Sons Funeral Chapel of Culpeper is serving the family
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