Constance Madara

April 26, 2022

Constance Mitchell Madara, age 91, of Moorestown and Beach Haven, NJ passed away April 26, 2022 at The Evergreens, her home of ten years. Connie was born in 1931 to Montgomery E. and Rebea Harder Mitchell of Wellsville, NY, where she spent her childhood. After meeting on a blind date, she married the late Samuel Whitelock Madara in 1953, residing in Cherry Hill, NJ, Moorestown, NJ, and spending summers in Beach Haven, NJ. Connie and Sam traveled extensively to Europe, the Middle East, and had the fondest of adventures in Antarctica, Australia, and China. Connie is survived by son Steven M. Madara (Lin) of Dublin, OH, daughter Suzanne M. Coffee (predeceased by Scott) of Moorestown, NJ, and son David J. Madara (Lisa) of Westport Point, MA. She was predeceased by daughter Nancy M. Secor (Stephen) of Firestone, CO. Connie was blessed with ten grandchildren: Wesley, Tyson, Paige, Amy, Peter, Kelly, Kristin, Lindsay, Megan and Kaitlin, along with four great-grandchildren. Connie graduated in 1953 from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Political Science. She served as President of her class, and President of the Southern NJ Alumnae Association. She began her career at Erlton School in Delaware Twp, NJ where she taught 7th and 8th grade. Connie later became the Public Relations Director at The Madara Company, and worked for the Guidance Center of Camden County. At the Guidance Center, she served on the board for 24 years, where she acted as Board President and founded the Auxiliary. Volunteer work was one of Connie’s greatest passions in life. She served on the Board of Trustees at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research for 12 years, and co-founded the Friends of Coriell. One of her fondest personal achievements was creating the docent program for the Philadelphia Orchestra volunteers. She managed the program for 13 years, bringing music education programs to thousands of tri-state area children, and was recently honored with the Transformational Service of the Philadelphia Orchestra Award. Connie spent summers at the family home in Beach Haven, NJ and played an active role at the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, where she was instrumental in changing the membership structure from male-only to a family-based format. At the Evergreens Retirement Community, Connie served on the Board of Directors for several years, and was an active participant on various committees while a resident there. Connie will be remembered for her lively spirit and her engaging personality. She approached life with a full heart, and was a grounding presence in the lives of her family and friends. Connie was always willing to share her appreciation for the arts, culture, literature and gardening with those she loved. Whether she was attending the orchestra or discussing her latest read, her passion for her many hobbies made her an engaging friend and an exceptionally well-rounded person. Her love of meeting and hosting people contributed to the many deep and lasting friendships she enjoyed throughout her life. Her greatest joy, however, was spending time with her grandchildren. She lovingly supported them in all of their individual endeavors, and took immense pride in each of their accomplishments. Relatives and friends are invited to her memorial service on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church, 446 Camden Ave., Moorestown, NJ 08057. Face masks are required. The family will greet visitors following the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Food Bank of South Jersey, 1501 John Tipton Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 ([email protected]) or the charity of your choice.