Melba E. "Vicki" Madge

MELBA E. MADGE 1923-2006 She was tiny, petite, never quite reaching 4\u002711\u0027 but she had a heart as big as all outdoors. She raised four children to adulthood and saw the births of 8 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren in her lifetime. She also saw Presidents come and go, fads and fashions change, the world itself was a different place from her childhood. She was raised in a small mining town called Clarkdale and later moved to Cottonwood, Arizona. She was the daughter of a copper miner and distinguished herself by being a sought after piano accompanist for many Verde Valley musical groups. She became a war bride during World War II and afterwards traveled throughout central and South America with her husband and her growing family. They lived in exotic locations like Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Rio de Janeiro with husband John D. Madge while he worked with Pan American Airways. After settling down with John and her four children in Phoenix in l954 she was known as a gracious and welcoming hostess. Vicki, as she was known to friends and family, entertained everyone who came to her door and made sure they were never hungry or tired if they were under her roof. She was active in civic and fraternal organizations like the Loyal Order of Moose, the VFW, and PTO. She stayed at home with the children before they were out on their own and gave piano lessons to many students in the Phoenix area. She and husband John moved back to the Verde Valley in 1976 to retire, although she did not stay put for long. She took up her civic activities and was active in the VFW and became chair of the Voice of Democracy speech tournament in the northern part of the state. She also volunteered regularly at the Clarkdale Memorial Library for twenty years, held many positions in the Garden Club and the Women's Club in Cottonwood. She will be greatly missed and is greatly loved by her four children: Laura Bender, David (Ted) Madge, Brenda Phipps, and Mark Madge by her eight grandchildren: Michael, Kris, Shannon, Jill, Kami, J.B., Aaron and April and 18 great-grandchildren. Any donations can be made to the Clark Memorial Library at P.O. Box 357 Clarkdale, AZ 86324. Please put Melba E. Madge on check. Flower offerings can be sent to Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 6250 W. Peoria Ave., Phoenix, AZ, where a Memorial Service was held in her honor on Saturday, September 9, 2006. Graveside Services will be held at Cottonwood Cemetery on Monday, September 11, 2006 at 1:00pm. An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com