Obituary for Jo Ann Mansfield Madren
Jo Ann Mansfield Madren, dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and globetrotter, passed away peacefully in Virginia Beach on June 17, 2022 at the age of 81. Born on February 2, 1941 in Burlington, NC, Jo Ann lost her mother at a young age and grew up very close to her father, John Mansfield. While in high school, she met the love of her life, Frank Madren, who passed away in 2015. Jo Ann attended Elon College (now University) at an age when not many women went to college, and was a firm believer in education throughout her life.
Together they shared many adventures, starting with living in Cincinnati while he worked for Procter and Gamble, before Frank earned his MBA from Harvard. One of her favorite experiences (and likely what began their love of travel) was spending a summer in Zurich while he interned with SwissAir. Jo Ann and Frank returned to NC for a few years and had two children, Carol and Eric, before moving to Massachusetts while Frank entered the world of technology. Seven years later, the family moved to Los Gatos, California, where Frank worked for several start-ups and Jo Ann worked for 3Com before they bought and ran a company of their own, GarrettCom. She was an expert and a great resource in Human Resources.
They lived as a unit, in work and continuous travel for work and pleasure. Jo Ann funded several scholarships at both Elon University and NC State, and loved to hear how "her" students were doing. After Frank's passing, Jo Ann lived in Denver near her daughter before moving to Virginia Beach near her son and her beloved ocean. Every phone call included a description of what was happening on the beach that day. She especially loved to watch the dolphins, as she battled through multiple illnesses and missed Frank.
Jo Ann loved basketball (both college and pro), traveling and oysters. She was a tremendous ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and the autism community, and she was endlessly proud of her five grandchildren. She is survived by her daughter Carol Bedin, who resides in Denver with her husband Matt and children Cooper (UC Berkeley), Dayton and Felix; and by her son Dr. Eric Madren, who resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife Dr. Lisa Madren and their children Ben (Univ. of Mary Washington) and Libby (NC State).
Special thanks to her caregivers from Home Instead who treated her like family and became close friends of hers, and also to the staff at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital for their outstanding care.
A graveside service will be held at Magnolia Cemetery in Elon on Saturday, July 16, with a lunch to follow.
Together they shared many adventures, starting with living in Cincinnati while he worked for Procter and Gamble, before Frank earned his MBA from Harvard. One of her favorite experiences (and likely what began their love of travel) was spending a summer in Zurich while he interned with SwissAir. Jo Ann and Frank returned to NC for a few years and had two children, Carol and Eric, before moving to Massachusetts while Frank entered the world of technology. Seven years later, the family moved to Los Gatos, California, where Frank worked for several start-ups and Jo Ann worked for 3Com before they bought and ran a company of their own, GarrettCom. She was an expert and a great resource in Human Resources.
They lived as a unit, in work and continuous travel for work and pleasure. Jo Ann funded several scholarships at both Elon University and NC State, and loved to hear how "her" students were doing. After Frank's passing, Jo Ann lived in Denver near her daughter before moving to Virginia Beach near her son and her beloved ocean. Every phone call included a description of what was happening on the beach that day. She especially loved to watch the dolphins, as she battled through multiple illnesses and missed Frank.
Jo Ann loved basketball (both college and pro), traveling and oysters. She was a tremendous ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and the autism community, and she was endlessly proud of her five grandchildren. She is survived by her daughter Carol Bedin, who resides in Denver with her husband Matt and children Cooper (UC Berkeley), Dayton and Felix; and by her son Dr. Eric Madren, who resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife Dr. Lisa Madren and their children Ben (Univ. of Mary Washington) and Libby (NC State).
Special thanks to her caregivers from Home Instead who treated her like family and became close friends of hers, and also to the staff at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital for their outstanding care.
A graveside service will be held at Magnolia Cemetery in Elon on Saturday, July 16, with a lunch to follow.