When your soul sister's dad passes away unexpectedly only a month after your own Dad passes you go to support her as hard as it may be. I little help from Gumby and we can do anything.
Douglas Royal Madison
February 24, 1950 ~ January 8, 2022 (age 71)
Tribute
Douglas Royal Madison passed away, peacefully and unexpectedly, in
the company of his two daughters, on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at the
age of 71.
Doug was born to Jack and Adele Madison on February
24, 1950, in Nampa, Idaho. He spent the early years of his life in
Nampa, and moved to Boise during high school. He graduated from Borah
High in 1968. Right after graduation, he went to work for his dad at the
family business. While working at Madison’s Home Furnishings, he met
the love of his life, Opal Campbell. They were quickly married for time
and all eternity on June 19, 1969 in the Idaho Falls Temple of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Doug and Opal remained in
the Boise area to raise their four children. Dad was a proud member of
Christ’s Restored Church and taught his children to love the Gospel. He
held many callings over the years, and teaching and working with the
youth were his favorite. The assignments he spoke of most often were
serving on the High Council of the Meridian East Stake and serving as
Bishop of the Meridian 18th Ward.
Doug’s favorite hobby was
attending sporting events. He did everything he could to watch his
grandkids play, and more importantly, to watch his beloved Boise State
Broncos and San Francisco Giants. He and Opal went to Boise State games
before the infamous “Smurf turf” put Boise on the map. Doug loved to
travel, and within his 71 years, he visited 20 baseball stadiums across
the US and attended several Boise State road games. He loved to visit
San Fran and never missed an opportunity to catch the Giants at the
Stick or at AT&T or at Oracle. Often times these games were
followed by a trip to his favorite restaurant, Sinbad’s at Pier 2. He
attended many BSU Bowl games, his favorite was of course the 2007
Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners. He sat in the stadium and
soaked that in for a good long time after that victory and wondered out
loud if he was having another heart attack! One of his best Christmas
presents came in 2018 when he received tickets to the 2019 College
Football Playoff National Championship game in Santa Clara. He had
front row seats with his son and grandson and it was a thrill to watch.
Of his travels, one of the most memorable was when he shoved his four
kids into a silver van (with the call sign “Silver Fox”) and drove 7,100
miles across the US for three weeks. The family visited amusement
parks, baseball stadiums and national monuments but the highlight of the
trip were the Church History Sites. Outside of the States, he loved to
travel with mom and they were fortunate to make stops in Japan, Europe,
Hawaii, Hong Kong and the Caribbean. Doug was a hard worker and spent
most of his working years in the family furniture business. He enjoyed
traveling to the furniture market twice a year and he had a great eye
for quality furniture. Doug loved his grandkids and he did everything
he could to be present for all of their extracurricular activities,
including softball games, cross country meets, choir concerts, and dance
recitals. He was their number one fan. Each and every family gathering
always included grandpa’s fun facts for the day, which more often than
not, annoyed his grandkids (especially when he got the trivia wrong.) He
spent a lot of time teaching everyone random facts of trivia….he loved
it!. After mom passed and as he aged a bit and couldn’t travel as much
he found comfort in his little dog, Toby. Those two were inseparable.
(Toby ate better than anyone in the family.) Doug will be remembered for
his work ethic, love of the Gospel, and pride for his family. He will
be missed, deeply.
Doug was preceded in death by his wife Opal,
his parents, his grandson Zachary Madison, his great-nieces Whitney
Oldroyd and Myra Bahnmiller and a great-nephew, George Davenport. Doug
is survived by his four children: Roger (Alyse), Sandee (Doug), Angee
(KG), Ryan (Amanda), 16 grandchildren; Lauren (Harrison), Victoria
(McKay), Spencer, Royal, Kassidee, Drew, Kyle, Flower, Lorelai, River,
Ryan, Brie, Lovina, Levi, and 3 great-grandchildren, his brother Mike
(Gay), and sisters Carolyn and Kris (Lee).
Services are under the
direction of Relyea Funeral Chapel. A viewing will be held on Thursday,
January 13 from 6:00-8:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints Chapel, 5555 N Locust Grove Rd., Meridian, ID. The graveside
service will follow on Friday, January 14 at 1:00 pm at Dry Creek
Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, June 13th at 11
AM at the Locust Grove chapel listed above. The family wishes to offer a
special thanks to the paramedics and the medical professionals St.
Luke’s Hospital who took care of him during his last few days!
