Fly High Madison Hope!
Madison Hope Welch, 18 passed away on Friday, November 21, 2014 as the result of a motor vehicle accident while traveling back home from a duck hunting trip. Maddie was a student at Baton Rouge Community College and a 2014 graduate of Zachary High School. She was an avid hunter of all game. She loved to paint and was a talented writer and loved to spend time training dogs at Y-Farms Kennels with her family. Maddie spent weekends working with Heirloom Catering, and enjoyed antiques and thrifting. But most of all she loved being with family and friends. Madison was a very giving spirit and with this chose to give others a chance with gifting her organs to those in need. The honor of giving life will forever celebrate her caring heart for others.
We have set up a Facebook page to honor Madison & to remind others to always “Have Hope”.
Our family is brokenhearted and absolutely devastated over Maddie’s death.
Please take a few minutes to learn about Maddie’s accident, you might be able to help us locate the driver of the 18 wheeler that took my daughter’s life.
Madison Hope Welch, was involved in a car accident at 7:11 pm on the evening of Nov. 19, 2014.Madison was on her way back home from a duck hunting trip in Kaplan,Louisiana. The accident happened near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. It was right before the Breaux Bridge exit on I-10, this was about 1 mile pass the DOTD rolling weigh station. An 18 wheeler forced her Toyota pickup truck off of the interstate and into the center median of the interstate. Madison was the only person in her truck. Even though there were witnesses to Maddie’s accident, the 18 wheeler truck driver did not stop and has not been found. We are currently trying to locate the individual that was involved in Maddie’s death.
Madison should have passed away from her injuries at the scene of the accident but she didn’t. She was hanging on by a thread, she continued to stay with us until the next morning.My daughter choose to become an organ donor at 15 years old when she received her learners driving permit. I remember asking her if she would be an organ donor and she told me that she “already had that handled”.
Madison was an outgoing, smart, independent, talented & sassy, 5 foot 110 lb blonde haired, blue eyed, beauty. Maddie was driven to accomplish as much as she could as quickly as she could. She graduated high school early & was in a rush to begin college. Maddie worked a full time job in the office of a construction company in Baton Rouge, LA during the day and went to the Baton Rouge Community college at night. She also worked for a catering business as a server/event coordinator on the weekends. Maddie had strong work ethic & was a true “go getter”!
God gave Maddie the gift of writing, poetry & drawing. She left plenty of artwork & writings for our family to cherish for many years to come. Madison was an avid hunter of all game, she loved to fish & spent time with her 2 dogs that she had rescued (Sookie, a little mixed breed mutt & Sandy, an 80lb Golden Retriever). Her dogs were like her children, she would take them everywhere she could, even if they were not allowed.
Madison was raised with her older brother, Jeffrey age 22 & a younger sister, McKenzie age 14. She also has 2 older brothers Ty age 23 & Dylan age 24, from her father’s first marriage.
To know Maddie was to love Maddie, she had no enemies. She was the kind of girl that could chat with anyone about anything.
Madison grew up on our farm in Zachary, Louisiana. Maddie rode horses, enjoyed riding 4 wheelers, she helped out at our family owned dog kennel & loved spending time outdoors with our family. Maddie was extremely athletic, she played high school softball & coed softball after she finished high school. She was also a PADI /NAUI certified scuba diver, I will miss my diving buddy!
I gave Madison the middle name “Hope” right before her birth, it wasn’t the name that I had originally chosen. I believe that God told me that I needed to have “Hope”. “Hope” for a new beginning, “Hope” for a new day & “Hope” for the future. Madison always knew why I named her “Hope”.
I have been attempting to write this letter to everyone, but I have not been able to put my feelings and thoughts on paper until today. Today is Jan. 2, 2015, Madison’s 19th birthday. I knew that today I needed to tell you about what an awesome young lady “My Maddie” was and still is!
May God Bless you & Keep you, Jen (Madison Hope’s Mom)
Always Have Hope…
Madison Hope Welch, the girl that could use words bigger than her foot and out-shoot your grandfather with a shotgun. She was every boy’s dream, and every girl’s best friend. To put it simply, she was everything; wrapped up in a 5 foot petite little body, with bright blue eyes & blonde hair.
She could quote the oldest of movies, and turn right around and make you fall out laughing because she knew every word to the latest, rap song. Spend a second with her, and you would have felt like you had grown up by her side. Madison had the kind of spirit that would fill a room and make you yearn for more of her presence. She never had a worry or an ill wish; to her, they were a waste of time when she could be doing something better. Maddie was the kind of person that didn’t know what a grudge even was, and thought no one else should either. If she was at odds with you, she would go on and do that one lil special thing for you, like wash your car, cook you a meal, fold your clothes, that one thing you needed to do and dreaded doing. She’d pop right in with an innocent “Hey, I folded your clothes and put them on your bed,” bat those eyelashes and all was forgiven.
Although, I’m sorry was not a part of her very vast and ever growing vocabulary. The mad scientist, she could draw/paint anything she set her mind to. Her only problem was staying with one idea long enough to finish it. But when she did, she could blow your mind. The trails of paint all over the farm will forever be a joyful memory alluding to visions of her standing on a chair in muck boots, cut off Daisy Duke shorts, a tank top and a button up flannel shirt with her blonde hair thrown behind a bandana and a paint brush in her hand. Maddie could write equally as beautifully as she could paint, and loved to at that. She loved to work, and firmly believed in working for the things she acquired, but she also believed in giving.
Madison was the most giving person anyone could have ever known. Not only was she giving, but in her mind, everyone else was too. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself when she borrowed something without asking, because you knew in the back of your mind that she only took it because she knew she would’ve given the same to you, no permission necessary. Near the end of her life, Madison wanted to travel; among plenty of other things. To sum it up in the best way, Madison was dying to give. Her passion that God placed in her heart was to give to everyone that she could. She wanted to be included in trips abroad, she also had plans involving various charities, she was honestly dying to give.
In the end, Madison Hope got exactly what she had Hoped for. She gave. She gave life and she gave Hope. Through the donation of her organs, Maddie saved 4 lives and changed countless others beyond words. Madison left behind a truly awesome legacy that we should each live by every day, give all you can, and always always always Have Hope.
A Sister, A Best Friend, A Role Model
“Goodbyes are like a closed book, just because the book is closed, doesn’t mean that the story is over.”.
I loved my sister with all my heart and I would have done anything for her. Maddie made everyone just so happy by just being around her and I remember always wanting to grow up being just like her. Madison marched through life triumphantly and if you told her she could not do something, it made her put forth 110% more effort. Madison was my role model and always will be. We may not have gotten along all the time, but when we did, they were the best moments of my life. Maddie and I did not say I love you every day, but we did those little things to show our gratitude towards one another. I loved my sister unconditionally and I do believe that she loved me and everyone else twice as much.
Together, Maddie and I became the M&M’s and to lose her so quickly and suddenly felt like I lost my other half. Madison taught me to be tough and stay strong through anything that might come my way, just like she was. Although Maddie is gone for awhile, I know we will be reunited one day. On that day, we will rejoice and never leave each other again.
Genesis 27:3 – “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow and go out to the field and hunt game for me.”
Maddie and both loved this bible verse and both of us loved to hunt. We were both fortunate enough and thankful to be given these opportunities to spend time with each other outdoors. However, there was always an unspoken opposition between us two on who could harvest the biggest doe, or bag the biggest racked buck. Sadly, we never got to see who got the bigger deer; I know she will be there right beside me on all my hunts, guiding my way and sharing in the experiences.
She was truly a great sister, friend, and person. I am glad I got to spend 13 of her
Tough as Nails and the Heart of a Lion
Smart, beautiful, and talented are three words that describe my sister. She wasn’t just your normal teenage girl; she was a gift from God. There won’t be a day that goes by that I won’t think about her or miss her. We were so close when we were little and even though we have grown up and have had our own lives it feels as if I have lost my best friend.
Madison was the person that could walk into a room full of people and put a smile on everyone’s face. She was always motivated and stayed pushing forward to achieve her goals in life! Strong willed and tough, she never let anyone put her down. She wasn’t scared to tell you how she felt, or how she felt about you. I can remember being 8 years old watching the Wizard of Oz and being so scared I would sleep with her. We had so many great memories together that I could go on for days telling you all about it. What made her so special was her passion to give. She gave to people during her time on this earth and when her time was done she still kept giving.
I don’t know why God took her so soon, but he always has a plan. She inspired me and honestly I looked up to her.
Her loyalty, hard work and dedication is what inspired everyone. Tough as nails, and the heart of a lion, when something would knock at Madison’s door, she was the person who had the mentality to kick in the door and introduce herself.
My heart will always hurt for her and honestly I sit back and ask God why she had to go to soon, but life is not a simple game. It is filled with obstacles and hard times. As for all of our family and Madison’s friends, we have a mountain to climb. Even though we are upset, and mourning for her, we have to keep climbing this mountain.
When we fall, we have to fall on our backs, because if we can look up, we can get up. We have to HAVE HOPE!!! As this is what Madison would want from us.
I now have a new guardian angel who will be with me till leave this earth. I can almost picture her painting my house in heaven for me. Even though she did not like giving me hugs, when I see her again the first thing I am going to do is grab her up and squeeze her. I love you Madison to the moon and back – Love your brother Jeffrey
