Skip to content
Dan Madary

My Brother, My Friend

Dan Madary

Born
30 October 1953, Chicago, IL
Died
29 October 2003, Chicago, IL

This memorial is no longer online

The time paid for it has run out. Unless more time is added it will be removed from this website, along with the photographs, keepsakes, and notes on it.

Anyone can add time to it, with no account needed.

Keep this memorial online

Dan was born in Chicago, IL USA October 30, 1953 into an Evangelical Christian family. He had a three-year old sister, Janet(me), anxiously awaiting her baby brother's arrival. The family attended the Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church every Sunday through his childhood and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord of his life in his teen years.
Dan attended Hibbard Elementary School, Von Steuben Upper Grade Center, and North Park Academy for high school, finishing up at Von Steuben High School when North Park closed. He played on the football team at North Park for a time, though he admitted reluctantly that he mostly kept the bench warm.
Dan attended an Assembly of God church in his young adult years and sang in their choir. He was also a part of the Jesus People for a time. He especially loved to help care for the toddlers in the nursery at church and often told stories of cute things they did and how he enjoyed them so much.
He never married and had few serious girlfriends. He said it was because he was too analytical, and I think it was also because he wanted to succeed in marriage and only wanted a Christian woman for his wife. He was a bit shy early on in life, did not socialize much, and stopped attending church when his congregation moved outside the city to a new location. But he had some very good friendships with women and kept them up, over the years and across distances as far as all the way to Japan, as well as, in the his last couple of years, online.
Dan worked first at a die cutting company and then became an insurance agent, selling policies over the phone. He continued in the insurance business till shortly before he passed away.
Never having married, Dan lived at home. His father died at 50 years of age in 1976 and his brother (10 years his junior) died at 35 years of age. His older sister married in 1973 and had three children who Dan enjoyed. In the latter years, his mother was not well and he cared for her until she died.
Dan loved fishing, miniature golf, bird watching (informally), singing and food. Once he found he was good at playing pool that became his favorite activity and where he made many friendships.
Dan's heart was not strong. Before he passed away he was in the hospital and the doctors talked of a heart transplant, but he didn't stay around for that. The Lord took him home while he was still in the hospital, one day before his 50th birthday.
Dan left his sister, Janet, his nephews, Tony and Manuel, his niece, Eliza, and two great-nephews, Joaquin and Joshua. He also left many good friends who will miss him. The great promise that God gives us of a home in Heaven after this life is over is a great source of peace for his family. And the knowledge that one day they will all be reunited in Jesus' presence is their comfort and joy.

Photographs

Notes and messages

All 20 notes

Being Dan's sister was always a pleasant and rewarding part of my life, especially as we grew up, left the bickering and fighting of siblings behind and found a dear friendship between us. He was three years younger than I so we shared a lot of things in our childhood. I remember being anxious that he learn to read so that we could read comic books with each of us taking a character and reading the dialogue.

Janet, Dan's Sister, 9 November 2003

We shared a bedroom and bunk beds when we were small, enjoyed many a family vacation together, and he was always a brother I was proud of.
Dan was born in Chicago, IL and lived here his whole life. He never married and lived at home. He was a blessing to my mother, especially through her latter years.

Janet, Dan's Sister (cont.), 9 November 2003

Keepsakes

All 3 keepsakes