Leah Margaret Madden

Leah Margaret Madden

December 18, 1996 - February 25, 2022

The universe lost one of its sweetest souls, Leah Madden, age 25, who died quietly on February 25th in Portland, Oregon. Leah and her identical twin sister Taylor were born on December 18, 1996. They arrived well ahead of schedule after just 25 weeks of gestation and it was this early start that helped plant the seeds of courage and strength, traits that would later define Leah's life.

Outside of SpongeBob and Pokémon, one of Leah's first loves was reading. In her younger years she would read everything she could get her hands on; sometimes checking out 12 books at a time from the library. By the time she was in the 5th grade she found a new passion: writing, and she was extremely talented. Throughout her life, she wrote hundreds of poems and gained many close online friends with whom she built very detailed stories and characters. She also wrote in journals almost daily from the time she was 11 up until her passing, and all of her works are now deeply treasured by her family.

As a child, when Leah wasn't reading or writing, she was playing outside with her sister and older brother, Bryce. They often searched for frogs and created make believe games which could last for hours. Whenever her siblings had a squabble over who got the tv remote or who got the biggest slice of cake, Leah would be the one to break it up and make sure everything was fair. Her dad, Bill, has a love for nature and camping and while she would originally only join when bribed with toasted marshmallows, she eventually developed the same appreciation for nature and found much peace in taking walks and looking for ducklings at parks. Leah also found great inspiration from listening to music. Even though she was appalled at some of the song choices of her mom, Kathy, they shared a love of music and bonded over listening to many artists including Harry Styles and the group Twenty One Pilots.

Approaching her early teen years, symptoms of Bipolar II Disorder and Anorexia began to reveal themselves. Leah struggled with these immensely and, as is common with mental illness, this was a lifelong battle. Against increasingly difficult odds, Leah was always determined to get better and even though it wasn't easy to do, she always sought out help. She was tremendously honest, determined, and courageous.

Additionally, from an early age Leah developed a strong sense of empathy for others. Abundantly open-minded, Leah accepted everyone without judgment, and was quick to speak up in protection of others if she heard or saw evidence of bias or exclusion. Without ever needing to be told, she always chose kindness. Leah knew what it was like to feel misunderstood and was determined to make everyone she knew feel accepted. This never wavered no matter how difficult things got.

In similar fashion, Leah's caring and sympathetic nature was also displayed in her love for animals, particularly her deep fondness for cats. While living in Eugene, Oregon, she was a frequent volunteer at the Greenhill Humane Society. Leah spent many rewarding hours helping to acclimate the cats to shelter life and to improve their daily experiences. She was quite proud of her contributions there, and she took comfort in knowing that her personal efforts made a meaningful difference in the lives of the shelter animals.

Leah is survived by her parents, Bill Madden of Portland, Oregon and Kathy Madden of Portland, Oregon; brother Bryce Madden of Wilsonville, Oregon; sister Taylor Madden of Charlotte, North Carolina; uncles Jim (Debbie) Madden of Melbourne Beach, Florida, Charlie (Carolyn) Madden of Boca Grande, Florida, Taylor (Valarie) Ball of Monroeville, Ohio, and Dave (Beth) Ball of Sunnyvale, California; aunts Katherine (Ray) Coleman of Raleigh, North Carolina and Liz (Stuart) Blackwell of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; and numerous cousins.

The family will hold private memorials where Leah's ashes will be spread at a few of her favorite locations, including Lake Minnehaha in Maitland, Florida off the dock of her grandparents' home, and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, Japan.

In lieu of flowers, those who desire may make memorial contributions in Leah's name to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Greenhill Humane Society, or to the charity of your choice.