Madelyn Marie Saccone

Madelyn Saccone (nee Reznicek), 92, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 22, 2024. 

Madelyn hailed from a Czech family of farmers and was born and raised on a farm in eastern Kansas near the booming metropolis of Lost Springs (1930 census population 265). She graduated from Emporia State College with a teaching degree and, being the adventurer she was, immediately set out to teach middle school in Seattle, Washington. But adventure abroad beckoned and in 1955 she took a job teaching on a US Airbase in Chateauroux, France. This is where she met and married Joe Saccone, erstwhile Bostonian and an Air Force lieutenant stationed there. 

For 30 years Madelyn lived the life of an Air Force spouse and mother of 5, moving house and kids every few years. She fully explored every place she lived, finding museums, local attractions and cuisines. When she tired of exploring locally, she loaded those 5 kids and a tent in the station wagon (sometimes with and sometimes without Joe) and did many a road trip. Joe retired from the Air Force in 1983 and they settled in the Boston area near Joe’s large Italian family. Madelyn loved her time in Massachusetts, exploring the history and natural beauty of New England, happily playing tour guide to any visitors – taking them to visit places like the Freedom Trail and Plymouth Rock, getting cannolis in the North End, and serving up a delicious boiled lobster and corn dinner. She was a regular visitor at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, enthusiastically enjoying the exhibits that came to town. Joe passed away in 2004 and she remained in Massachusetts, keeping herself busy by continuing to visit her favorite museums, frequent walks through Bird Park and visits to the Arnold Arboretum, volunteering for adult literacy programs, and supporting other causes such as Walk for Hunger. A broken hip precipitated the need to streamline her lifestyle so once again she packed up and moved. She left her beloved Walpole house and Boston haunts to live near one of her kids in an apartment in Kirkland, WA. She continued to walk almost every day, whether to watch her grandsons play baseball at the local field or to stroll to nearby Lake Washington to enjoy the beautiful view of the lake and boats, and soak up the lively atmosphere. 

One of the great things about Madelyn was her very curious, active mind – she loved travelling, road trips, camping, museums, being at the ocean, cooking, eating out, reading, sudoku and crossword puzzles. She had a deep curiosity about science, especially engineering, and was passionate about world affairs and politics, reading the New York Times and other periodicals every day. In addition to creating an atmosphere that encouraged curiosity and exploration, she was loving, funny, and kind. She will be greatly missed. She is survived by her 5 kids, 12 grandkids and 2 great-grandkids. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 10 Diamond Street in Walpole, at 10:30 AM. Interment will be private at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Madelyn's name may be made to either Doctors Without Borders by visiting https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org or Project Bread's Walk for Hunger by visiting https://projectbread.org/walk-for-hunger

Arrangements by James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, Walpole.