Daisy Marion Maeding

A Celebration of a Precious Life

 Daisy Marion Maeding (born Ridgway) passed away on the 27th of December, 2024 at the age of 86 years old. At 2:27 a.m. Daisy died peacefully at Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado. Daisy was preceded in death by both of her sisters Ursula (Sue) O. Kern (born Ridgway) and Patricia M. Lohle (born Ridgway). Left to cherish and celebrate her memory are her loving husband Horst Maeding, her daughter Rosalie (Rose) Smith (born Maeding), her sons Paul, Anthony (Andy) and David Maeding. She is also survived by her grandchildren John Smith, Collin Smith and Ashley Dudley (born Smith) and by her great grandchildren Audrea and Kai Dudley.

Daisy was born on the 9th of August of 1938 to Dorothy Ridgway (born Cooper) and to Arthur Ridgway in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. She was the youngest daughter and had a very close relationship with her older sisters and her parents. Daisy was lovingly brought up in a tolerant home, in which her mother and father welcomed people from all backgrounds including German prisoners of war. One of those POW’s was Karl Kern, who met Sue in 1946, and after four years, he ended up marrying Daisy’s sister Sue in Southern Germany.

In the summer of 1954 Daisy and her middle sister Pat decided to take a trip to visit Karl’s sister Louise in a village near Stuttgart, Germany. During her stay, Daisy met a young man, Horst, who was also visiting Louise at the time. After three days of getting to know him, Daisy agreed to write letters to Horst and after a year of this long distance relationship, Daisy decided to travel by herself to Duisburg, Germany to meet Horst’s family. The two of them continued to correspond and in 1957 Horst decided to go to Bradford in order to meet Daisy’s parents.

On May 1st of 1957 Daisy Ridgway married Horst Maeding in Bradford, England. At the beginning of their marriage, Daisy worked at the Swedish Embassy and then at a nursery in Shipley Glen. After working at the nursery, she worked at Grattan Warehouses as a duplicate copyist, but stopped with her first pregnancy. Daisy and Horst lived happily in Bradford for 11 years welcoming Rosalie (Rose), Paul and Anthony (Andy). In 1968 Daisy and Horst organized a major family move from Bradford to Denver, Colorado in order to be closer to her sisters’ families, who immigrated years earlier. Daisy and Horst packed up the household and prepared for the move once they got notified from the US government, and in February of 1968 Daisy and Horst moved their three children to Denver.

Horst set up a painting and paperhanging business and Daisy worked in a greenhouse until they decided for Daisy to raise their children full time and take care of the business at home. In 1970 Daisy gave birth to her youngest son, David, in Wheat Ridge, CO. At this time Daisy really missed her parents and decided to start the process of bringing them to the States from Bradford. In 1972 Daisy and Horst successfully moved her mom and dad to live in a small house across the street in Wheat Ridge. Daisy and Horst built an addition to their new home on West 28th Avenue in Lakewood and moved her parents in with them. After three years, her mother passed away and Daisy cared for her father for the next six years until he passed into eternity.

Daisy joined the New Apostolic Church in 1951 and lovingly served in the church for over 70 years arranging flowers, playing the organ, singing in the choir, cleaning, cooking and baking for receptions. Daisy was also a valued member of the senior group in the Denver New Apostolic Church for many years.

Daisy Maeding was the heart of the Maeding family, as she made everyone’s life better. She cared for all of the children by making each of them feel uniquely special. Daisy had the uncanny ability to make each person she met feel like they were her focus. Everyone agrees that she really did see you, feel with you and care for you authentically. Her fairy-like smile, lovely melodic voice and infectious laugh quietly lit up the world. She could wrap you in her arms and make you feel like everything was going to be okay. She was bold, fearless and incredibly intuitive. She would call or have Horst call when she felt something wasn’t right with a particular individual. She sent care packages, baked delicious treats, painted, arranged flowers, sent thoughtful cards, always thought of others, welcomed family and friends at any time of need, loved her children, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren, her sisters, her parents, her nephews, her nieces, her cousins, her extended family, her friends and her beloved Horst with her ever-expansive heart. As we reflect on Daisy Marion Maeding, she is our constellation in the shape of a Yorkshire rose looking out for us all from on high, guided by warm embraces of her dear Sue, Pat, Arthur and Dorothy in Heaven along with the love of our Lord and Savior by her side. We will all hold Daisy in our hearts until it is our time to hopefully join her in eternity, so we bid you Auf Wiedersehen dearest Daisy, until we hold each other again. We love you!

A memorial service in her honor will be held on February 8th at 11 a.m. at the New Apostolic Church at 5290 Vance Street in Arvada 80002. All attendees are invited to a reception at the church directly after the memorial service. 

Contributions in Daisy’s memory may be made to the New Apostolic Church Food Pantry.