John F Madaus

John F. Madaus of Lake Geneva passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 30, 2026, after a courageous 14-year battle with cancer. His indominable spirit never wavered in his battle, and he never let cancer slow him down or define him. The phrase he held dear was that life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Born on August 18, 1947, to Everett and Helen (Dahle) Madaus in Harvard, IL, he was the youngest of his three siblings Dennis, Driela, and Letha. John grew up on a farm, driving tractors, fixing equipment, and working the land, which gave him determination, knowledge, skills, and true grit that he carried with him throughout his life and career.

In his early career, John was trained as a machinist at Knoll’s Tool & Die in Genoa City. He then went to work for Nestle Chocolate in Burlington as a machinist and over his 25-year career ended as the maintenance superintendent of the plant. After his retirement from Nestle, he no longer wanted to work within four walls. John went to work at B.R. Amon & Sons in Elkhorn as a mechanic working on and maintaining their trucks and equipment. After two years of working outside in the Wisconsin weather, he decided working inside four walls wasn’t so bad after all. John worked at R&L Spring Company in Lake Geneva as a manual machinist until he retired for the final time in 2019 at age 72.

John was a lifelong resident of Lake Geneva. He had a need for speed and street raced cars in his youth and collected classic cars later in life. He always had a project in process, the next one already in mind, and never met an engine or a piece of equipment he couldn’t master – even if he didn’t have the garage space for it. He loved working in his garage, listening to classic country music, while restoring antique tractors and rebuilding high performance engines. Sometimes he even put those engines into his tractors. Why? Because he could. When he finally sat down, he loved to watch old westerns, including John Wayne and Gunsmoke. John was a mentor to many and loved to pass on his knowledge. He was gracious and kind to everyone he encountered and loved to strike up a conversation, share a laugh, and tell a good story. He was a true gentleman through and through – unless he was playing poker. John’s favorite place was home, maintaining the house he built, the property he loved, and sitting on his front porch with his wife and family while listening to the birds and watching the local wildlife pass by.

John is survived by the love of his life, his wife, Kim, whom he was married to for 46 years. They held true love for one another and together they shared a beautiful life. Kim taught him patience (or tried) and took him to see the ocean and inspired his love for travel. John taught her about internal combustion engines and having the confidence to do anything you set your mind to. They complemented one another in every way and were by each other’s side throughout all of life’s highs and lows. They shared a love others dream of finding.

He is survived by his three children, Jason (Heather) Madaus, Julie (Andrew) Ferraro, and Alicia (Scott) Van Dyke; his seven grandchildren, Colton (Katie) Hall, Nicholas, Devereaux, and Samuel Madaus, and Izzy, Evelyn, and Adeline Van Dyke; and three great grandchildren, Zaxiver, Kellen, and Felix Hall. Nothing made John prouder than spending time with his children and grandchildren, whom he loved unconditionally. He was the best Dad and Papa ever, always sharing his wisdom and humor, and demonstrating what it meant to be a devoted husband and father. He was a steady, comforting presence throughout their entire lives and was there without hesitation whenever they needed him.

He is survived by his sister, Letha (Richard) Kuecker, his brother-in-law, Greg (Laurie) Jeffers, brother-in-law, Mark Jeffers, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

Some friends become like family, including Don (Sue) Townsend, who was like a second brother to him, Seth (Cortney) Rouse, who was like a second son to him, and Sandra Carrigan, who held a special place in his heart.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Helen, father, Everett, brother, Dennis, a sister, Driela, and his in-laws, Russell and Mary Lee Schulz.

John will be remembered as the strongest, most courageous, loving, and genuine man we’ve been honored to know and love. His legacy and love will be carried on in the hearts of his wife, children, grandchildren, family and friends. John touched so many lives with his generous spirit, humor, and kind heart. He will be deeply missed by his family every single day.

The family gives special thanks to the Vince Lombardi Aurora Cancer Clinic (Burlington), Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center (Milwaukee), and Aurora Zilber Family Hospice (Wauwatosa). If you would like to donate in honor of John’s memory, the family kindly requests memorials to be made to Aurora Zilber Family Hospice.

Private memorial services will be held at Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home in October for family and close friends and officiated by Pastor Bob Kamps. John will be laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in the spring with a private burial, surrounded by his family and the legacy of love he built.