SILVER LAKE - Jessica Mader, our beloved matriarch, lived a rich life that made her a ubiquitously
appealing person. Her loving demeanor, magnetic
personality, and ethereal beauty attracted people
of all backgrounds -, neighborhood children, esteemed professionals, social workers, artists, cancer
survivors, and healthcare professionals coalesced
into a unique community whose common link
was simply that they adored Jessica.
She was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia to Martina MacLean and William Stanley Meikle during
the Great Depression. She and her three sisters saw
firsthand the renaissance of their city as a strategic
WWII port and thriving industrial corridor.
When Jessica moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for
nurses’ training, she met the love of her life - young
medical resident Carl Joseph Mader. They were a
vivacious, striking couple. Though the Nova Scotia
coastal stretch of Mader’s Cove would remain their
home and namesake, their adventure began when
they married in 1954. Jessica and Carl migrated
to to northeast Ohio, where they shared a home,
his internal medicine practice, and the raising of
their four children. As Maritime transplants to
the Midwest, Jessica and Carl introduced the Buckeye state to Canadian
traditions like nighttime winter ice hockey and summer clam bakes. Jessica
and Carl were always holding hands, hugging, or toasting one another along
with friends. Christmas holidays were steeped in the traditions of midnight
candlelight services at Silver Lake Church and singing classic songs at the
player piano with loved ones. Their kids constantly played outside in the
neighborhood but would listen for Jessica ringing her outdoor brass bell
calling them to come together around the table for dinner.
Jessica pivoted from nursing in the late 60s to raising Newfoundland
dogs. Breeding, grooming, and showing the giant breed provided a unique
identity in Silver Lake, Ohio village. In the 70s, donning bell bottoms and
new-found independence, she studied art at the University of Akron, where
she was popular among the younger students and the older faculty. The
barriers of age, sexuality, race or social standing were never impediments
to friendship with Jessica; she simply enjoyed being with interesting people.
Her art degree developed her creative expression, and she spent most of
that decade in the field as a photographer or in her home darkroom. Her
lovely photos, paintings and charcoal drawings adorn walls across North
America today.
In the 80s, with a booming economy, Jessica immersed herself in the
world of residential real estate, diving headfirst into listings and showings,
not just for the income but for the supreme satisfaction of helping people
find their perfect home to expand their family or settle into retirement Her
enthusiasm and zest for living was always at the forefront, whatever she was
doing, which ensured her outstanding success.
As the 1990s emerged, Jessica’s four children began entering adulthood.
Without skipping a beat, she and Carl transitioned into glowingly-proud
grandparents, and “Nanacakes” became Jessica’s new moniker. She delighted
in it; her grandchildren chanted it when she entered a room, and she adopted it as her new signature. She was never prouder of anything than she
was of the wonderful children she raised and the wonderful children they
raised in sequence.
In the early part of the new millennium, Jessica joined the league of
women challenged by breast cancer. She confronted this diagnosis as she
dealt with any other impasse in her life - by spinning it into perhaps her
most significant victory. After recovering from her cancer in 2007, Jessica
and her surgeon, Dr. Douglas Wagner, co-founded a non-profit organization,
the Dragon Dream Team, a dragon boat paddling team for breast cancer
survivors. This team sport became her life-long passion. By elevating spirits,
confidence, and fitness, she inspired hundreds of survivors as they bonded in
overcoming this tremendous challenge together. The word “dream” is both
an inspiration of what is possible and an anagram for her last name, “Mader.” Over the past two decades, the Dragon Dream Team has continued its
mission, with Jessica either at the helm or as the emeritus founder, and now
travels internationally, competing in races worldwide. This volunteer work
so fulfilled Jessica that she often exclaimed, “I’m so glad I got breast cancer!”
In 2011, Carl Joseph Mader was put to rest after a brilliant life as a soldier, medical doctor, son, father, and grandfather. His most consummate
role was husband to Jessica, a marriage that extended over six decades.
After his death, she moved to the Laurel Lake Retirement Community in
Hudson, Ohio, close to her youngest child, Valerie. Jessica was grateful to
have Valerie‘s children, Fletcher, Alistair, and Josie, nearby. She continued to
spend Thanksgiving holidays in Kentucky, a tradition hosted by her eldest
daughter, Pamela Lessenberry, where she could indulge in special time with
her beloved grandchildren MacLean, Palmer, Hewett, and Creighton.
The family summer holidays in Mader’s Cove, Nova Scotia, continued
through her last summer. In most recent years, the long trip from Ohio was
lovingly facilitated by eldest son Roger. While there, he produced exquisite
meals, served overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, often alongside her namesake
grandsons Cole and Everett. In her last holiday season, Jessica gave her son
Scott the greatest gift of all by relocating to San Diego with the help of her
“bonus son, “John Flanagan, and “bonus daughter,” Tara Reuther. Jessica
spent her final months there, nestled in front of the fire at night with a
cocktail in hand, watching NHL hockey, accompanied by her younger son
Scott, the muzzle of his Newfoundland dog, Nova, gently resting on her lap.
Memorial contributions in Jessica’s name may be directed to the Dragon
Dream Team:
Diane Thacker, Treasurer
Dragon Dream Team
P.O. Box 26606
Akron, Ohio 44319
A celebration of life will be held later this spring at the Church in Silver
Lake (and a Canadian ceremony this summer in Nova Scotia) – please check
this newspaper, Legacy.com, or email Scott Mader for details:
[email protected]