Madelin Biddle
Marriages
William Shephard Biddle - June 20, 1939
In Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. William preceded her in death.
Burial Details
Obituaries
Vail Daily page A9 - January 24, 2009
Madelin Biddle, 1915-2009, regular Vail visitor
Madelin Biddle, of Fairfax, Va., a regular visitor to Vail, passed away Jan. 7. She was 93.
She was born Dec. 4, 1915 in the Panama Canal Zone. She was married to Capt. William Shephard Biddle on June 20, 1939, in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. William preceded her in death.
Madelin and her husband, then Major General William S. Biddle, began coming to Vail in the 1970s at the urging of their daughter, Susan Biddle, who was a Vail resident. After Bill's death in 1981, Madelin came every year for the month of January and, for a few years, two weeks in the spring.
These annual visits became a kind of family and friends reunion. Madelin's daughters, Susan Biddle, Harmon Biddle and Christina Maher, and their families, would all visit. Local friends included Trudy Petersen and Bob Walsh, all the girls at the Golden Bear, Luc and Liz Meyer, Joel and Jane Gros, all those who worked at Vista Bahn Ski Rentals, Susan and Joel Fritz, Jerry and Lois Jacobs, Dodi Egan from Colorado Springs and Jean Naumann from Bond.
At least one huge spaghetti dinner was served each year in the unit in Vail Trails East, which she rented each visit. Her grandchildren from Denver, Amanda and Peter Maher, owe their early skiing experiences to her generosity.
When Peter was in high school and college he would come with his snowboarding friends and there would be bodies everywhere — beds, couch, floor. Madelin took it all in stride and loved the commotion.
Her last ski day in Vail was in January 2000 — she was 84. She skied down The Berries on a gorgeous, sunny Vail day. Perfect. She continued to come to Vail for a couple of years after that although she no longer skied.
She will be remembered and missed by all her friends and family.
Her daughters are Susan Biddle (Bob Barkin), Harmon Biddle (Griff Doyle) and Christina Maher (Ned Maher); and she has five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at The Old Post Chapel at Fort Meyer, Va., on Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery
Donations may be made in Madelin's name to Vitas Hospice, 1604 Spring Hill Rd., Vienna, VA 22182; Milly's Home, 10832 Broadwater Dr., Fairfax, VA 22032; Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces at The American Red Cross, www.redcross.org.
