Mourning the Passing of Friends: Forthcoming Funeral Service

"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. 

All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”

~ Helen Keller

IRIS MADSON

Iris Kay Wade Madson, 88, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2023 at her home in Payson. She was born July 16, 1934 in Reno, Nevada to William Henry Wade and Millie-Margaret Huff Wade.

Iris was the younger sister of her only sibling Bill. After their father passed away, the family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Millie-Margaret met and married Dick Nielsen. Iris spent most of her childhood there until she began studying mathematics at Brigham Young University.

It was at BYU that she met the love of her life, Raydon Madson. The two married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 3, 1954 and settled in Raydon’s hometown of Payson, where they lived together until Raydon’s passing in 2017. Together they raised 11 children: Gary (Lygia) Madson, Kayron (Kevin) Lewis, Jeannette Gordon (deceased), Paula (Charles) Heaton, Raydon (Michelle) Madson, Jim (Terra) Madson, Greg (Heidi) Madson, Sandra (Darin) Orr, Beverly (Kevin) Kraut, Becky (Blade) Mecham, and Dan Madson. She adored her children, her 43 grandchildren, and her 40 great-grandchildren.

In addition to spending time with her family, Iris enjoyed quilting, ice skating, playing tennis, reading books like Jane Eyre, watching reruns of Perry Mason, and eating onion rings from the Daley Freez. When she wasn’t taking care of her family, she could usually be found volunteering at the Peteetneet Museum, strolling through Payson Canyon, or serving in one of her many callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of her favorite callings was serving a mission for the Church in Sweden with her husband after their kids were grown. Her testimony of Jesus Christ was at the center of all she did, and her life was a reflection of the love her Savior has for all people.

The family would like to thank the many doctors, nurses, healthcare, and hospice workers who cared for her in her final years. She will be remembered by all who love her as a strong, charitable person whose profound wisdom and kind heart blessed everyone who knew her. Her indomitable spirit and quick wit sustained her in any circumstance, and she could be counted on to respond to challenges with a calm demeanor, keen sense of humor, and insightful counsel. She will be deeply missed, but her family is comforted by the knowledge that she has once again been reunited with her beloved Raydon and her daughter Jeannette.

There will be a viewing Monday evening, January 9, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the LDS Chapel located at 225 South 400 East, Payson, Utah. There will be another viewing Tuesday morning, January 10, 2023 at the same location from 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. preceding the funeral at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Payson Cemetery following the funeral.