Teresa "Terry" Faith Madsen of Washburn, ND, formerly of Santa Rosa, CA, died September 2, 2023, after a brief battle with Stage 4 Lung Cancer with Mets. She was 74.

Terry was born July 11, 1949 to Wallace and Florence (Litteri) Van Gundy in Santa Rosa California. She attended catholic school K-12 and graduated from St Vincent's High School in 1967. After high school, she completed the police academy at Santa Rosa Junior College, but decided to raise a family instead of pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Terry married Robert "Bob" Madsen in 1969. They had their first child, Gina in 1969 and a son Shawn in 1973. They were married ten years and after their divorce she did not remarry.

After her divorce, Terry attended vocational training to become an electronic technician and worked for Weightronix and Panel components in Santa Rosa from 1981-1994. She then worked in sales for Living Earth Crafts and Life Gear USA until she moved to North Dakota in 2003. She ultimately retired from Aetna Health in 2014.

Terry was known to be very independent with a spunky personality.  She thrived in ND and was so proud to have bought her own home several years after she moved here. She had many hobbies and could be seen gardening, mowing her lawn, shoveling snow, building birdhouses and walking her beloved dog Hattie in Washburn. Although retired, she worked part time at Chase Drug in Washburn until three weeks before her death. When she wasn't working on her house, she spent time with friends shopping, dining out, attending concerts or spending time in Bismarck with her family.

Terry was not planning on leaving this earth so soon, but her cancer was aggressive. Since it would not give her much more quality time, she decided not to go through treatment for her cancer. She spent her last days 12 days on hospice in her daughter and son in laws home with her family at her side. She wanted everyone to know how much she loved them and appreciated their friendship. Unfortunately, she was taken too soon from this earth.

Terry was preceded in death by her father, Wallace Van Gundy; her mother Florence Binsbachar and her stepfather, Arthur "Bins" Binsbachar.

She is survived by her daughter, Gina Pich (Steven) and son Shawn Madsen (Kim); four grandchildren, Derek Pich, Hailey Madsen, Kayla Goroski (Adam), Cole Pich; her brother, Gene Binsbachar; a nephew, Gino Van Gundy-Medeiros (Tony) and her beloved four-legged companion, Hattie.

Per her wishes, a celebration of life will be planned for a later date, and her ashes spread at Russian Gulch in Northern California. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made in her memory to Miles of Love dog rescue in Mandan, ND.

https://milesoflovend.com/donate-1