Gregory Haven

1950 - 2025

Gregory Haven

March 2, 1950 - June 12, 2025

MADISON - Gregory Haven was born on March 2, 1950, and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg, Wis., on June 12, 2025.

Greg was born in Neenah, Wis., and raised in Oshkosh, Wis., where he graduated from Lourdes High School in 1968. He moved to Madison, Wis., where he completed a bachelor's degree in accounting. Greg's siblings, Joan, Margaret "Peepers", and Mark also attended UW-Madison. After college, Greg and his two sisters stayed in Madison permanently, where he started a long accounting career with Capital Lock and Decker Supply. In 1989, their parents, Ruth and Don Haven, moved from Oshkosh to Madison, establishing their new family roots.

Greg's greatest joy was spending time with family. He loved to play cards, have cookouts in the summer, and prepare his special holiday appetizers for everyone. Some of his fondest memories were of cross-country camping trips with family, particularly rafting the Colorado River with Joan, Peeps, Mark, and friends in college.

Greg owned a home on the North side of Madison for 48 years, filled with his ever-growing book and movie collections ranging from classics to world history, horror to comedy, and especially sci-fi and fantasy. He was an avid reader and never went anywhere without a book. He had many favorites; notably, he read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy once a year for an impressive 30 straight years, and even the Silmarillion multiple times!

Greg was a fun-loving uncle to his only niece, Laura. He was the type of uncle to give books as a Christmas gift, but they were the books you couldn't put down. He passed on his love of Tolkien to her at an early age, and other fantasy series such as the Chronicles of Narnia, and His Dark Materials. In return, she introduced him to Harry Potter when the first book was published. Greg immediately became a lifelong fan, waiting in line at Barnes and Noble for each new release, and adding the books to his yearly rotation. They never missed seeing a new movie from any of their favorite series together. When his grand-niece, Starus was born, Greg fully embraced the energy of having a child around again and loved taking her to the zoo, Little America, and Wisconsin Dells.

Greg was preceded in death by his parents, Don and Ruth (Stilp) Haven and Margaret (Haven) Hiebing; and brother, Mark Haven of San Francisco. He is survived by his sister, Joan Haven; niece, Laura Hiebing; grand-niece, Starus Hiebing; and cousin, Walter Haven.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420