Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Madsen, age 96, passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at Willowbrook Assisted Living.

Born on July 3, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Albert and Florence (Burr) Kroening.  She attended local schools and graduated from Kenosha High School.  Betty received her certificate from Milwaukee School of Beauty Culture in 1944.

A lifelong resident of Kenosha, Betty was a member of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii Catholic Church.

On September 14, 1946, she married Oscar Madsen at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Kenosha.  Their union was blessed with 64 years of marriage.  Oscar preceded her in death on January 22, 2010.

Betty was employed with Orpheum Beauty Salon and Highland View Beauty Salons until 1967, SPEBSQSA Barbershop Quartet Society as a Merchandise Manager until 1999 and with Kenosha Memorial and St. Catherine’s Hospital gift shop as an employee and volunteer from 2004 until her retirement in 2020.

Betty loved playing cards with her sisters, hosting an annual Labor Day picnic and dinners on Friday nights with her sisters and sister-in-law, Sharon Madsen.  She enjoyed collecting Betty Boop memorabilia, reading, knitting dish cloths for family, traveling to Fox Hills, WI and to Arizona with family.  Betty received her first tattoo at the age of 88, thus her great grandchildren calling her “Grandma Boop.”

Betty will be dearly missed by her children, Jane (Jack) Hebert, Mike (Laurie Schenk) Madsen, Chris (Carlotta Miller) Madsen and Jeannie (Bruce) Cornell; her grandchildren, Todd Hebert, Danielle (Peter) Miller, Ashley (Jason) Weis, Kyle (Laura) Madsen, Paige (Mason) Tangen, Andy (Brittany) Belsky and Erik (Kimberly) Belsky; her great grandchildren, Ethan and Dalton Hebert, Lane and Hayes Weis, Wyatt and Everett Belsky, Hadley and Aiden Madsen, Asher and Owen Belsky and Molly Tangen; her sisters, Ethel Spieker, Kathy Merten; her brother, Jim Kroening; her sister-in-law, Sharon Madsen and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar and sisters and brothers-in-law.

Service Info

Memorial services honoring Betty’s life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the Piasecki Funeral Home, 3720 39th Ave, Kenosha, WI.

A gathering of relatives and friends will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Willowbrook Assisted Living, 3508 Washington Road, Kenosha, WI 53144 or to Hospice Alliance Inc., 10220 Prairie Ridge Blvd, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 https://www.hospicealliance.org would be appreciated.