Edward J. Madden

Edward Joseph Madden, “Ed,” “Eddie,” 91, passed away in the comfort of his home on Oct. 19, 2022, with family members at his bedside. He was born in Derry, New Hampshire on Dec. 29, 1930.

Music and family were everything to Ed, and his illustrious career in music spanned over seven decades. He composed, arranged, performed, entertained, and taught all genres of music. Ed’s legacy can be found in high school music rooms across the country and through countless musicians whom he mentored along the way. He was the sound of Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Marching Band for many years where his exciting halftime arrangements enthralled Sun Devil fans. ASU continues to play his rendition of its alma mater.

In 1980, he and Jo Scott of Fairbanks, Alaska founded the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, a multi-disciplinary celebration of music, dance, theatre and visual arts. He always considered himself a “working musician” and would bring home to his family colorful tales about playing with the likes of Barbara Streisand, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Liberace, to name a few.

Ed and his family were long-time residents of Westwood, Mass. In his later years, he and his wife, Kathy divided their time between Peterborough, N.H. and Fountain Hills. No matter where they lived, he could be found playing in nearby community band.

Ed was also a talented landscaper who took pride in his creations which he designed and constructed in the Sonoran Desert and in the woods of Hillsborough County. An audacious traveler, he took his family on a life-defining road trip across the United States, instilling in his children a love for the vast beauty and grandeur of America.

After raising a family, he navigated along New England’s rocky shores with his “roommate” Kathy by his side on their beloved sailboat the Caprice. Nothing could relax him more than watching a good Turner classic movie accompanied by a big bowl of his signature popcorn.

Eddie is survived by his wife, Kathy (Raymond), and five children, Kathleen and her husband, Greg (Solomon) of Anchorage, Alaska, Tom and his wife, Mary (Woicik) of Plymouth, Mass., daughter, Sherry of Cambridge, Mass., sons, David and his wife, Jeannie (Fogg) of Parrish, Fla. and Ken and his wife, Stacy (Hildreth) of Baldwin, Wis. He is also survived by his sisters, Marlene Gamans and her husband, Alan Gamans of Goffstown, N.H., and Irene Tousignant, of Goffstown, N.H. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, with the sixth one on the way.

Memorial services have been planned for both Arizona and Massachusetts. A memorial service in Arizona will be held on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at the Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary, 12065 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills, AZ 85268. Services in Massachusetts will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at your favorite charity.