Marijane Elizabeth Madigan

Marijane Elizabeth Madigan passed away peacefully in her home in Stevensville, Maryland, on September 5, 2024. A traveler, thinker, gardener, reader, swimmer, and computer engineer, Marijane was also an accomplished singer who loved singing the alto part in classical and modern choir music. Marijane was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 6, 1950, the daughter of James F. Madigan, Sr. and Evelyn Sintay Madigan. She grew up in East Haven, within biking distance of an ocean beach. Childhood experiences of spending time by the ocean shaped her lifelong love for the water and swimming. Marijane attended St. Mary’s High School in New Haven and went on to Widener University in Pennsylvania, where she was reportedly the first female graduate to receive a degree in mathematics. After graduating from Widener, she attended Drexel University, receiving a degree in computational mathematics in 1980. Marijane continued her studies with Norm Badler, a pioneer in computer science, at the University of Pennsylvania, but left when presented with the opportunity to work at IBM and learn computer capacity planning from Arnold Allen and others. She enthusiastically jumped into the emerging computer capacity field, when this important work was at its beginning and few women pursued careers in computing. She spent much of her life working in this field. Marijane worked as a capacity planner at IBM, Purdue University, BGS Systems (vendor of a computer capacity tool), the FDIC, and insurance companies and banks. Throughout her career, she was often one of few women on her computer engineering teams. In 2001 when she wanted a break from office politics and work, she took a year off to tour the United States National Parks in her Geo Metro. Though she sometimes stayed in motels, she mostly slept in her small tent, including a week at Joshua Tree Park, timed for the offseason to avoid snakes. She especially enjoyed traveling the west coast with a niece from San Diego and a leg of the return trip from San Antonio to New Orleans with her husband. Throughout the trip, she loved taking photographs, touring various sites, and making friends. At the end of her career, Marijane worked for eight years as the IT administrator for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. She enjoyed the switch to working on small computer problems and telephone systems, and helping maintain the museum’s databases. She shared the museum’s mission of promoting the work of women artists. Marijane enjoyed her home in Stevensville and a seasonal home in Onset, Massachusetts. Both homes were just four houses away from swimming beaches. Regular swims after work were a highlight of her days along with reading novels in her spare time. Throughout her life, Marijane maintained backyard gardens and plots in community gardens. She prided herself on knowing all the variables one needed to get right for growing vegetables, her specialty. Her harvested vegetables ended up in her slow cooker, with special seasonings, to make a great meal. Marijane sang in church choirs in Worcester and Framingham, Massachusetts, and Arlington, Virginia. It was a great pleasure for her to immerse herself in a new piece of music, and she would work through the week to get her part right. She especially enjoyed singing Bach and Mozart, as well as some 20th century pieces, including works by John Rutter . Marijane is survived by her husband of 34 years, Danny Sparrell of Stevensville, Maryland. She is also survived by her brothers, James F. Madigan, Jr. of West Haven and Dennis Madigan of Myrtle Beach; and her sister, Lynnanne Chaney of San Diego; and beloved nieces and nephews in San Diego, Rapid City, Colorado Springs, and Milford, Connecticut. Private committal will take place in Massachusetts. Donations in her memory may be made to https://www.shorerivers.org/donate.

Marijane Elizabeth Madigan

December 6, 1950 - September 5, 2024