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BORN
1933
DIED
2016
Paul Madsen Obituary
May 23, 1933 - October 26, 2016
Palo Alto
Paul Madsen Jr. passed away on October 26th, after a long illness.
Born in 1933 in San Francisco, Paul grew up in Los Gatos, served in the military,and married Barbara Evensen in 1952. They moved to Palo Alto in 1960 where they raised their 4 children, Lynn Madsen of Vermont
(Evan, Kyle and Katie Murphy), Gunnar Madsen and his wife, Marcella Madsen of Berkeley, ( Quinn Madsen),
Carrie Madsen of Los Angeles and Peter Madsen of Chatham, New York (Jan and Joshua Madsen).
For more than 40 years, Paul ran the Palo Alto Sanitation Company (affectionately known as PASCO SAM) until he sold it in 1998. The sanitation company played an
integral part of the City of Palo Alto's services to the community. When PASCO received the Tall Tree Award in 1998, for outstanding contributions to the community,
following picking up 97% of the collection on the day of the famous Palo Alto floods of February 3rd deluge, Paul remarked: "The only thing I can brag about myself and my employees is that we walk on water every time it rains." He was instrumental in establishing recycling programs and serving in the refuse industry.
Paul served on the Santa Clara Grand Jury and assumed numerous civic duties in Palo Alto. He was an active member of MPPC and devoted many of his retirement years to volunteer and religious organizations.
He will be missed by friends and family. Why Not?
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Paul Madsen
Sponsored by San Jose Mercury News.
1 Entry
Ellen Murray
May 12, 2017
A very long time ago my son Chris joined Paul's son Peter and the entire first grade class from Loma Vista Elementary School (now Juana Briones) for a party at PASCO. As a finale, Paul picked the children up in the big (and very clean) garbage cans and gave them a short ride on his strong shoulders. Thus, he demonstrated the hard work of his team -- and how to lead by example.
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