Gary Madison Obituary

Gary D. Madison MT. PLEASANT - Gary D. Madison, AKA Sean O'Callaghan, or Pops, of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and longtime resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away after a 13-year battle with Parkinson's Disease, in his home, surrounded by family at the age of 78. Gary was born June 9, 1946, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to John Gentry Madison and Violet May (Flowers). He graduated from Arkansas City High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He attended Oklahoma State University and was a proud brother of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. During his college summers, he blazed trails in the Grand Tetons, and in 1972, he earned his law degree from Tulsa Law School. He remained in private practice for 40 years until retiring in 2011. The Honorable Gary D. Madison also spent many years behind the bench as a judge and sat on the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. Gary was the proud father of two children, John David Madison and Regan Madison Petersen. With his two young kids in tow, he traveled the country in his Jeep Wrangler, top always down. Gary was a sports fan, cheering on the Oklahoma State Cowboys and following the Red Sox and Boston Celtics. He loved fine dining, dancing to old-school rock 'n roll, and road trips, but the true passion of his life was running. Gary started running at age 30 on Christmas Day. He picked up his nickname, Sean O'Callaghan, excelled quickly, and founded his racing team. He worked hard and trained like a madman. After two decades of racing stardom, and 27 Boston Marathons under his belt, Gary was inducted into the Oklahoma Running Wall of Fame. During post-race celebrations, he reminded them, "We party as hard as we train." It was how Sean did everything...with focus, dedication, and purpose-and he loved the parties after. He took his young kids to Saturday morning races where Regan and JD cheered him on, and he continued to run all the way to the end. It was his true passion. Gary was very sociable, and he kept a lot of close friends. For over 50 years, he organized the SAE ski trips to Colorado and Wyoming. Dozens went. Gary was proud of his Irish heritage and took numerous trips to Ireland for golf and some Guinness. After retiring to Mount Pleasant, he took great pride in getting everybody together in the bunk house for endless games of pool and darts. Gary is survived by one son, John David Madison of Mt. Pleasant, SC (Elizabeth) and one daughter, Regan Madison Petersen (Scott); one sister, Pam Sears; and eight grandchildren, Gracen, Jack, Levi, Charlie, Cole, Ryder, Sutton, and Hattie. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Gentry and Violet May, niece Jessica Sears, and life partner and soulmate, Cynthia Wolfe. The family will host a life celebration on Wednesday, December 4, at 4 PM in Charleston, at the Establishment Restaurant on Broad Street. Let's end this tribute with an Irish ditty Gary loved to quote:: May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, And the rains fall soft upon your fields.