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BORN
1953
DIED
2017
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Eugene Madsen Obituary
Dr. Eugene Madsen died August 9, 2017. He leaves immediate and extended family members and colleagues to whom he was devoted and who very much miss him. He leaves many memories about his personality, his habits, his brilliance as a scientist, his curiosity about the world and his love of all things family.
Eugene was born to Donald and Margaret Lewis Madsen on February 24, 1953 in Oakland, California. He became part of the Ithaca and Cornell community when he began graduate studies at Cornell in 1979, completing his MS in 1981 and PhD in 1985. In 1989 he became a faculty member of Cornell's Department of Microbiology.
He loved his work but loved his life beyond work even more, especially his family, music and exercise. He was in tremendous physical shape and able to make difficult gymnastic routines look easy. One of his accomplishments in the months prior to his death was performing a giant on the high bar—a very impressive complete circle, fully extended, around the bar.
Eugene played trumpet for students in his classes, for the community as part of the Ithaca Concert Band, with friends in Friday night quartets, for opening ceremonies at Cornell's gymnastic meets and for many family functions.
Every aspect of life aroused Eugene's curiosity, and nothing was too trivial to attract his attention. He was self-disciplined and quite proud of the lack of waste in his life. However, he was humble about his accomplishments as an academic, which include writing a widely used text book based on a course that he taught for many years titled "Environmental Microbiology: from Genomes to Biogeochemistry." Going forward, students using the book will not have the opportunity to appreciate what it was like to have him as a professor, with lectures that included his trumpet music and a very energetic delivery. Eugene also published a book of unique cartoons, which often involved specks of dust in vast western landscapes having deep conversations that always ended with a pun. The book was a compilation of the cards he sent each year with best wishes for a great New Year to all who received them.
Eugene trained many graduate and post-doctoral students as a kind and caring mentor. Former students are faculty members and researchers in universities throughout the world and are his academic legacy. His daughters were the students that he valued most. He taught them what they needed to know about the world by example and with tremendous love.
Jane Walker (wife), Cecelia and Sidney Madsen (daughters), Peter Renz (brother), Jane Madsen (sister), numerous nieces and nephews, and the Walker family survive Eugene.
The best thing that you can do in memory of Eugene is to appreciate those you love. The next best thing you can do is to make a donation to Cornell University with a note directing it to the Eugene Madsen Fund for WGYM (Women's Gymnastics Team). Please address envelopes to:
Big Red Athletics
Cornell University
Teagle Hall
ATTN: John Webster
Alumni Affairs and Development
Ithaca, NY 14853-6501
A memorial service open to friends, family and colleagues will be held October 15 from 2-5 pm in Stocking Hall Conference Center, Cornell University.
Bangs Funeral Home is assisting the family.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Eugene Madsen
Sponsored by The Ithaca Journal.
Laurel Alvarez
August 24, 2025
Eight years have passed since you moved on. I stay in touch with Janie and think of you often. Sweet Gene you stay in our hearts. You are forever loved my friend.
Nancy Arcelona (Sparrowe)
September 21, 2017
I am sorry to learn of Eugene's passing. We were not friends in our adulthood, but we were childhood friends growing up on Wawona in Oakland. Our mother Dorothy was one of Peg's best friends, and Eugene and Jane were a fixture at our neighborhood parties and we at their's. Many fond memories of shared family times in the redwoods of Santa Cruz and Felton. My condolences to immediate and extended family. As a kid he was a ray of sunshine. Fondly Nancy Arcelona, (formerly Sparrowe).
Colette Piasecki-Masters
September 20, 2017
Eugene was a wonderful family friend and I enjoyed getting to know even better during my time in Ithaca. He routinely became a part of family dinners when my parents visited me at college. I looked forward to his many stories, ranging from intriguing to inspiring (as a biology major, we shared many interests) to hilariously wacky. But no matter the subject, he always wore his contagious smile and spoke with passion. His love for life and work will always be an inspiration and something he has taught me to strive for in my life, as well.
Dallas Hoover
September 14, 2017
I received a call just now from a Cornell colleague who informed me of Gene's death on 9 August. Gene and I overlapped in Martin Alexander's lab back in the 80s. We kept in touch via email on such subjects as the hoops we had to jump through in academia in order to get grant money. I was going to contact Gene in a week or two to see if we could get together since I'm speaking at a symposium at Cornell the end of next month, and we haven't seen each other in years, now sadly not to be; you never know.
My deepest sympathy to Jane, Cecelia, Sidney, family and friends.
P.S. You know, although I tried, I never could quite figure-out his New Year's postcards, but I saved them all in my desk drawer.
Steven Wolf
September 14, 2017
Gene was a great guy. He was very generous, modest, and passionate. I will miss him.
Larry Anthony
September 6, 2017
I knew Gene from my undergraduate days at Cornell and had the pleasure of working in a lab just down the hall. Gene was always the kindest and most supportive person and definitely guided my graduate career. He will surely be missed by Cornell and everyone who knew him.
Kate Scow
September 3, 2017
Gene was like no other. How one person could have possessed so much intellect and creativity, compassion and kindness, discipline and quirkiness, is hard to grasp. It was a gift to know Gene and almost impossible to imagine him gone. My condolences to all who loved him.
Joseph Suflita
September 3, 2017
How profoundly sad to loose a great man like Gene. He was my friend and colleague for many years. I loved getting his seasonal cartoons. I always appreciated his wit, good nature, honesty and scientific integrity. My sincere condolences to the family. I will miss him a great deal.
September 1, 2017
Sincere condolences to the family, May your hearts be comforted forever as you cope with the loss of your dear loved one. - Philip 4:6&7
Nancy Fairchild
August 31, 2017
Gene frequently attended seminars in the classroom across from my office. One day a fleece jacket was left in the classroom and I brought it to my office so no one would take it. Gene came back looking for the jacket and told me it was a special jacket because Jane made it for him. He was very grateful I secured it for him. He was a very nice man and will be missed by many.
My thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.
Mark Wilson
August 31, 2017
Gene was my PhD advisor at Cornell. I learned so very much from him. He taught me how to think rigorously and write clearly. He was brilliant and kind and caring and funny and generous. Bye, friend. Peace, Gene.
Arlene Garelick
August 31, 2017
Eugene Madsen, the beautiful, rosy cheeked younger brother of my dear friend, Jane Madsen. He was always her "person," and I believe that Janie was his. So much alike, and two more kind, pure, conscious and ethical people, you could not meet. I am heartbroken, especially for my friend, over the untimely death of her dear, sweet, brilliant, robust and accomplished, brother, Eugene!
My sincere condolences to Gene's daughters, wife, brother, Peter and to all who loved him. I will remember and honor you always, gentle man. Love you. Rest well!
Aravind Natarajan
August 30, 2017
I have had the pleasure and privilege of Prof. Madsen's mentorship. He was easily the most animated teacher I have had, always exuding enthusiasm for the subject. Memories of him teaching us about redox potential, and quizzing graduate students about what sequencing technique they used remain vivid in my memory.
In lighter moments, I have enjoyed discussions on gymnastics and a specific carrot juice he preferred.
I am today a better scientist and person through him. His loss leaves a unfillable void. My sincere condolences to his family.
Lara Cirimele
August 30, 2017
Correcting the typo that slipped through my flooded eyes..
*His strength of heart is *eternal*
Lara
Cyndi Beckley
August 30, 2017
So sorry for your loss Cecelia. You and your family have been in my thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks and will continue to be.
Lara Cirimele
August 30, 2017
Eugene is my uncle, my sweet mother, Jane is his adoring older sister; they share a truly beautiful example of sibling love. We live amung the redwoods in Santa Cruz County , CA where Eugene and my mother spent their summers throughout their childhood. Both also took residence at " the Peaceful Tuna" in their early adulthood. Because of the long distance between, I only was blessed with his warm glowing presence, infectious smile, inspiring energy & profoundly authentic kind heart about twice a year (give or take). I can only attempt to find words to describe him, as the most immaculate person I have ever known. With all of his honorable and distinguished achievements from academics to athletics, steadfast family values,outrageously clean lifestyle he never strayed from being humble, nonjudgemental, and caring, and loyal. A good man by definition is a pale description of Eugene Lewis Madsen. I know my Grampy and Grammy couldn't be more proud of their beautiful baby boy, he remains as my broken hearted lovely mother's beacon of light, love and strength, the pride I feel to say a man of his caliber is my uncle is overwhelming. I cannot imagine the monumental awe and all encompassing grief my phenomal cousins, his gorgeous daughters are experiencing. His far too premature departure is inarguably tragic to all who love him, know him, to the world.I am honored and grateful for the gift of being his neice. I believe more than I ever have before that souls remain. Because I know my Uncle Gene could never let those he loves be truly without him. His strength of heart is eteniece.
I love you Uncle Gene
Lara Elizabeth
Dr. Roland Wilhelm
August 29, 2017
I met Gene back in February of 2017 and began working on one of his projects at Cornell. I am grateful for my chance to spend time getting to know and learn from him. It was a pleasure to debate with Gene because of his thoughtful and spirited manner and keen attention to detail. I always left those meetings feeling like I'd picked the right career, where ideas matter and curiosity prevails. I feel privileged for these memories and will carry forward Gene's passion for the natural world, particularly for that which is nearly invisible, yet ubiquitous.
David Webb
August 26, 2017
How can I say farewell to someone like Eugene, who has been among my closest friends for nearly 40 years? Everyone who knew Eug even casually knew that he was a brilliant scientist, a gifted musician, an accomplished athlete, a proud father, an irrepressible free spirit who kept alive the curious spirit of inquiry and the boundless joy of youth, and someone who never seemed to age himself indeed, he had at 60 the same fresh-faced, youthful look that he had at 25, and he was still doing giant swings on high bar in his sixties. I am beset by a torrent of fond memories of times shared with him of listening raptly while he explained the polymerase chain reaction, of laughing helplessly at his amusing account of his visit to Bohemian Grove, of gymnastics workouts in Teagle Hall, of countless trail runs, hikes, bike rides, and other outdoor adventures with him over some four decades, of his dedication to his family, and of his joy at the births of his daughters.
However, what I remember most vividly about Eug (and what those fortunate enough to have known him more than casually will recognize immediately) is that he truly understood the meaning and the miracle of friendship. He went out of his way to befriend people whom he met, in a wide variety of circumstances and he ALWAYS kept in close touch with his friends, even when (preoccupied with their own professional and familial obligations) his friends did not always fully reciprocate. Whenever he attended a scientific conference anywhere near my area, he would make a point of taking a half day off to visit we would set off on a long run, a hike in the woods, or a bike ride in the Vermont hills, and it was as though all the intervening years had just melted away. He was always bursting with news of mutual Cornell friends of whom I had lost track in fact, the last time that I saw him, he proudly presented me with a book that a mutual friend of ours (of whom I had long since lost track, but whose friendship Eugene had maintained over some four decades) had written. When my daughter came to Ithaca for a campus visit with a potential interest in studying biology at Cornell, Eug generously took time off from a flurry of other activities to give her a tour of his lab. He was the truest of friends, and even weeks later, I still find myself in a state of shock and denial that he is gone.
My thoughts are with Jane, Cecelia, and Sidney, and with all those fortunate enough to have counted Eugene as a friend. We will all miss him.
Nancy Smyth
August 25, 2017
I knew Eugene in Felton in the 1970's. He was such a bright, funny and lovely presence in our world. I remember laying on the deck of the Felton cabin at night and Gene would point out stars and constellations. He was so unique , smart and quirky and such a nature boy. My brother Rick knew Gene then too. Rick lived in the woods in Sweden for more than 45 years and despite the fact that Rick was not great at staying in touch, Gene never failed to write to him every Christmas -- so loving and generous. Maybe Gene and Rick are hanging out in the woods somewhere together now. Sending love to Janie and all of Gene's family.
Soloway Paul
August 23, 2017
Gene's path and mine crossed infrequently, but when they did, I was struck by his warmth, kindness, and charm. We always shared smiles. As I've read the remarks of others' I wish our paths crossed more often!
David Emerson
August 23, 2017
I first met Gene in Martin Alexander's lab when I was a wet behind the ears student who thought he wanted to do a Ph.D in microbiology. To me, Gene was a 'wise old grad student'. I have known him ever since, and valued his advice and wisdom along the way. To those outside science, it might look like what we do is the land of milk and honey. While there is some truth to that, it is definitely not an easy row to hoe; more than once Gene helped me stay the course, and for that I'll always be appreciative, and miss him.
Marjorie Hoffman
August 21, 2017
Although we only knew each other as parents of middle school daughters at the same school, I am very much saddened to hear of the untimely loss of this kind, unassuming and generous man. My heart goes out to his family.
Geoffrey Whiting
August 18, 2017
I first met Gene last October in the Ithaca Concert Band where we were both playing trumpet . He was enthusiastic about playing which I liked. We enjoyed playing together outside of band rehearsals as well. There wasn't much time for conversation during rehearsals, but I enjoyed his wry and understated sense of humor. I was fascinated by his self deprecating description of his life's work in microbiology as studying how things rot!
He alluded to gymnastics and farming and I realized there was a lot to learn about Gene. Fortunately, he has preserved some of his unique and unusual wit in a book. Unfortunately, life is fragile and fleeting. My deepest condolences to his wife and daughters.
Glenn Powder
August 16, 2017
30+ years is a long time, but then again, sometimes it isnt. I spent countless hours swinging pipe (high bar to non-gymnasts) in Teagle Hall with Eugene in the late 70s / early 80s. I had the true joy to reconnect with him 4 years ago as my daughter entered Cornell. Our paths crossed in Teagle Hall. I was wearing typical attire for a 50+ year-old parent of an incoming freshman. Eugene was fittingly in Teagle-wear and after we embraced I coughed at the cloud of chalk dust in the air and now on my shirt and marveled that he was wearing grips. I was then in awe as I watched him swing high bar as well as he did in his 20s and show the same pure joy for life that always seemed to be a part of him. I smartly declined to join him on the bar (some excuse about not having grips) but felt like I was back in my 20s and hanging out in the gym with a good friend. Eugene and I would catch-up on life and family during the next four years and it often seemed like the 30-year gap had vanished. It is way too soon for such a great spirit to be leaving us but I will celebrate all he brought to me and to others. My heart and thoughts are with you and your family, Eugene. RIP, my friend.
Brendan OBrien
August 14, 2017
I shared a locker next to Gene in Teagle Hall at Cornell and saw him several times a week over the past ten years. He was always humble, generous, intelligent, and funny. Even though our interactions were brief, I was always left with a chuckle and a good feeling. He will be missed. My sincere condolences to his family.
Brent Norton
August 14, 2017
It's hard for me to think of Dr. Madsen as anyone other than "Gene",a tow headed 18 year old with whom I shared many hours of quality badminton games in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I will forever be grateful to Gene for introducing me to Miles Davis and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" along with many other artists who I enjoy to this day. Many thanks Gene. I hope to play badminton with you again sometime....
Barb Campbell
August 12, 2017
I will treasure our talks about graduate school at Cornell and life as a Research Professor and I will look upon your textbook and think of all you contributed to the field of Microbiology.
Laurel Gravem Alvarez
August 11, 2017
Oh Gene, you are gone too soon....such sweet "Peaceful Tuna" memories. Your legacy lives on in my heart and in the many lives you enriched and touched. Ever the humble man who's talents and accomplishments were so numerous, scholar, gymnast, trumpeter, world traveler. You were a loyal friend and devoted family member. You had a full and wonderful life but I cry for ours now without you...❤
Caryn & Cole Sheckler
August 11, 2017
We miss you already, Eugene. Love, Caryn & Cole Sheckler
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