Colleen Madaris

1936 - 2023

November 27, 1936 - April 25, 2023 Colleen Adelaide Gaffney was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The youngest daughter of Florence and John Gaffney, Colleen had two older sisters Patricia and Florence. As a child, Colleen lived next to the local library where she developed her lifelong love of reading. In high school, she was head majorette and enjoyed 1950s music. Colleen dreamed of becoming a nurse although her beloved father, a WWI veteran, was against the idea. She went on to attend St. Mary's Catholic School of Nursing and Marquette University. Next, she moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she received her Master of Science in Nursing. After completing her MSN, she worked in research at the City of Hope and later served on the UCLA Admissions Board. While living in South Pasadena she joined a bowling league where she met her husband, Charles Frederick Madaris. They were married in 1969 and moved to Tustin in 1971. They were married for 29 years before his passing in 1998. After establishing a successful career and becoming Treasurer of the California Nurses Association, Colleen decided to become a Nursing Instructor and lead the next generation of nurses. She accepted a Nursing Professorship at Santa Ana College to be close to home and spend time with her young family. Specializing in pediatrics, Colleen taught for over 20 years, often using stories of her own children in her lectures. Colleen was her children's biggest champion. She attended every recital, concert and sporting event, cheering on her children and often being the loudest Mom there. She always encouraged her children and grandchildren to find their own definition of self, success, and happiness. Colleen had a strong Catholic faith and attended Mass every Sunday, serving as a Eucharistic Minister, CCD teacher, and weekly reader. Colleen donated to over 15 charities annually, including homeless shelters, veterans, Catholic communities, and Native American schools for girls. After retiring, she volunteered at St. Joseph's Hospital for over a decade, visiting the local elementary schools and senior centers throughout Orange County to do health screenings and administer flu shots. She continued to attend nursing seminars and maintain her active nursing credentials until she was 80 years old. Colleen was an avid reader, including novels and autobiographies, as well as the OC Register and LA Times which she read as part of her daily routine, often completing the crossword puzzles. She was always up to date on world events and enjoyed discussing politics and issues of the day. A sportswoman, Colleen had season tickets to Angel's baseball games and UCLA football games and enjoyed tailgating with her UCLA alumni friends. She loved to travel, starting when she was a young girl, taking the train with her parents from Wisconsin to California. Many summers she traveled with her children across the country, visiting historical U.S. landmarks and taking different routes. In 2004, Colleen vacationed in Kauai with friends, taking home a painted coconut and meeting turtles, her favorite which she collected 100s of throughout her lifetime. In 2011, she traveled to Ireland with her youngest daughter and visited her grandparent's birthplace, stayed at Ashford Castle, and even met a distant cousin after researching her Irish heritage. In 2018, she traveled to Portugal and France with family, praying at Our Lady of Fatima and trying escargot and foie gras in Paris with a private viewing of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Colleen is preceded in death by her late husband Charles, and is survived by her four children: Roger Madaris, Christine Wardell, Sheila Monzon, and Mary Zayek, and her seven grandchildren: Paolo, Alex, Isabella, Natalia, Michael, Kaylen, and Anastasia. Colleen deeply loved her family and treasured her time with her grandbabies whom she was endearingly called "Gago" and "Gamma." She cherished cuddling with them, reading them books, and telling them her favorite life stories. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, May 17th at 10 AM at Saddleback Chapel in Tustin, CA followed by the burial at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange, CA.