A Tribute to a Friend

"On April 19th, 2007, this world lost a most beautiful, wonderful man. I myself feel as though I've lost my favorite Uncle.

I met Mr. Erik Madsen almost 30 years ago in 1977 – shortly after I met my good friend Susan, his eldest daughter, at S.F.U. While my friendship with Susan quickly grew, so did my relationship with her family. I’ll never forget how touched I was when I first met him – how he had such a playfully impish smile, a hearty laugh, and a marvelous twinkle in his eyes. He was deeply in love with his family and welcomed me as if I was almost one of them – and maybe I actually could have been had I not failed so miserably on the pickled herring test at one of those famous family Danish dinners!

I have numerous fond memories of those many Whistler nights where I even had my “own” bed. I remember how on one occasion we had been stranded up there for days when the bridge and highway washed away. And how I wished they'd taken even just a few more days to fix it. How, during this time, we’d concocted special drinks and played games by the hour -- especially Charades and Clue. I still remember how Mr Madsen always chose the red man (or “Crimson” – as he referred to it!). Those are some of my best memories!

Susan’s dad was always famous for giving us pet names – I was referred to as "Haney" first - and then "Kansas City" – and well, that one just kind of stuck. He was an extremely generous man – and to me – the trip to Maui -- where I remember opening the fridge to find it fully stocked with some of my most favorite things! And I remember that on special birthdays, how Mr. and Mrs. Madsen had sent me such beautiful bouquets of flowers. But mostly it was his gift of laughter, his love for his family and friends, his warmth, his sense of humor, and his unique understanding and "twists" on things that made me grow to love him too.

I was fortunate to see Susan’s dad a few times over the past few months while he was in the hospital – and what really struck me, was how much he still just lit up when I saw him. He still had that same twinkle in his eye – and, although he could no longer speak, he still managed to successfully razz Susan, Karen and I! He was always just so full of beans!

Today we are here to celebrate Erik Madsen’s life – and I am so blessed to have been a part of it. I also know how much he impacted all of our lives - his friends and his family - and how much love and respect Susan has always had for her dad. And while he will be so deeply missed by so many of us, he will always live in our hearts. I can still see his eyes – twinkling and winking at us! Skal!"

(this was my speech - which may have varied slightly while I was up there)

The memorial for Erik Madsen was held today - it was a beautiful (and packed) service flooded with many many affectionate, humorous stories and anecdotes about Erik -- about how loving, kind, fun, magnetic, and loyal he always was. His eldest daughter Susan is one of my closest friends - we have shared so many things over the years. While we are different in many ways (ie: she is an extremely talented artist), we have many things in common too. We're both "abbreviated" with respect to our stature (under 5'2), we both had skipped a grade in school, we both love to travel and read (although she's far surpassed me in her many exotic travel adventures and book reading by now), and we both have the greatest Dads who have played very important roles in our lives!

Her dad's beautifully written obituary reads:

MADSEN _ Erik, born October 9, 1926. Passed away peacefully at home on April 19, 2007 with his family at his side. Erik will be deeply missed by his wife Kirsten, children Susan (Stephen), Peter (Jennifer), Karen (Randy) and grandchildren Kaleena, Erik, Sabrina and Nicholas. He is survived by his sister Inge (Kurt) and brother Poul (Inger). Erik was born in Copenhagen Denmark and grew up in a small town on the Danish island of Fyn. His family was in the lumber business in Denmark and he had dreams of pursuing this profession in Canada. Erik and the love of his life Kirsten married in 1952 and immigrated to Canada shortly afterwards, arriving in BC with $12.50 in their pockets. Erik worked a variety of jobs before beginning his own lumber re-manufacturing business in 1965, which has continued to flourish over the years. He will be remembered as a respected boss, and a smart and fair businessman with a remarkable talent for numbers. Erik and Kirsten found paradise on the island of Maui where they spent much of their time. In between Erik worked on his elaborate model train set-up. He loved golfing, skiing, watching any sport on TV, parties, a good laugh and a good scotch. Erik was a big-hearted, generous person with an abundant passion for life. He "came in with his wooden shoes on" - there was no phoniness about him. And "you betcha" he will be greatly missed and mourned by his family and friends. Special thanks to Dr. Mukheibir and the home care nurses. The family wishes to extend an invitation to all who knew Erik to join in a Celebration of Life and a "Skal" to him at Hazelmere Golf Club, 18150 8th Ave., Surrey on Wednesday, May 9 at 12 noon. It was an afternoon full of laughter, tears, and sharing - a wonderful goodbye party for a great and loved man who remains forever in our hearts!