Alice De Lee Madsen

Alice Madsen, 72, died at her Seattle home June 4 after a brief illness. She leaves behind her adoring husband of 38 years, Dan Drischel, her two loving sons, Alex and Andre, grandson Jaiden (son of Andre), devoted sister Susan Madsen and a large community of friends, cousins and colleagues, who are grateful to have had her in their lives.

Daughter of the late Kenneth (1926-1960) and Constance Brugman Madsen (1925-1982), Alice grew up in Cincinnati, earning her B.S. and M.S. from the University of Cincinnati, where her mother trained special-education teachers as a professor in UC's Teachers College. From an early age Alice was dedicated to caring for others. This passion led her to follow her mother into the special-ed field. Alice and Dan taught in the Cincinnati Public Schools before moving to Seattle in 1982. After working in the Seattle Community College system, Alice shifted to increasingly complex administrative positions at Highline Community College, starting in 1995 as a program coordinator in the Early Childhood and Para-Education Department. She was named Dean of Instruction for Professional/Technical Programs in 2007. Before retiring in 2019, Alice shared her wit, wisdom and kindness around the world. She was an extraordinary educator and leader who connected deeply with colleagues in Egypt, Indonesia, and South Africa.

To know Alice was to have the great fortune of being with someone who always modeled the way of giving freely, loving deeply and putting others first. She will be in our hearts forever.

The family requests that any donations be made to the charitable cause of your choice in celebration of Alice's memory and her personal impact on you.