† Ronald H. Madsen †

16 th. of August 1928 - 26 th. of November 2008.

My family patriarch, husband of my mother, father of me, grandfather of my son.
He was a devoted family man, valuing the family life very highly - always stepping in and supporting us where needed.

My father was a seaman of heart, having been educated in the Danish merchant navy.  Later he served in the Danish Navy, back to the merchant navy again.  When I came along, he was working on the railway ferry boat on the Great belt, connecting our Island of Fyn to Zeeland.  He worked here for more than 35 years, right up to one year before the Great belt bridge made the ferries redundant.

My father at that time was a CB operator (OdenseDenmark2308), with both a stationary station as well as a mobile one. He gained knowledge of radio communication from work, but he never did become a radio amateur.
I cannot forget our portable operation from his front lawn, with a 5-element antenna working Canada. A cold January afternoon in 2002, on 6 meters with him as co-operator using my former callsign OZ7M.
He earned his Worked All Continents at sea, and could tell tales, of most of the  places that I spoke of having worked. A very complementary experience to that of my amateur radio contacts.

Technology held his interest.  When I was a child, we built an electrific model railway - latest computers and internet all caught his attention.

Although in poor health, it is of some comfort he lived to experience the golden wedding anniversary of 50 years of marriage with my mother.

With the privileges of having seen the world, having a nice home and a caring family, he left this world rich of experience.

Always loved and sorely missed. - Bjørn Madsen