Madolyn Enid (Closson) Hosea Obituary, Madolyn Enid (Closson) Hosea has died – Death : 86-year-old Ocala resident Madolyn Enid (Closson) Hosea passed away at 6:15 a.m. on December 8, 2022, under the care of Hospice of Marion County, surrounded by loved ones.
She was born on September 15, 1936, to parents named Wyman and Lillian (Dolley) Closson, in Vassalboro, Maine. She was the fourth of six kids, she had the ability of discernment from a young age, and her culinary, artistic, and decorative skills captivated many. As a young adult, she enrolled in cooking classes where she learned to decorate cakes expertly.
Madolyn’s lifelong sweetheart, Mark Tingley Hosea, was a fellow churchgoer at Advent Christian Church in Waterville. Shortly later, on August 6, 1955, when she was only 19 years old, the couple tied the knot. In their North Vassalboro home, the White Haven, which also served as a boarding house for elders, they reared their four children, Rhonda, Marcia, Mary, and Joel.
Madolyn was the manager, chef, and caretaker for the people of White Haven while also being a dedicated wife and mother during her twenties and thirties.
In 1975, when Mark was called to serve as pastor of the Forest Assembly of God Church in Silver Springs, Florida, Madolyn remained the rock of the family. Madolyn made their tiny cabin in the woods a cozy home despite working long hours in the bakery at the Kash n’ Karry and the Publix.
Madolyn was a woman of great faith, practicality, observance, honesty, dependability, consistency, hard labor, and selflessness. She had a wicked sense of humor that could make even the most stoic person break into uncontrollable fits of laughter. She adored deep maroon and grayish blue, crimson birds and mallard ducks, oil painting and Chinese checkers. She cared deeply for her husband Mark, whom she often dressed to match her for big occasions. She also had a special talent for baking bread and preparing spaghetti, both of which were huge hits with her grandchildren and with Mark.
Madolyn was a devout Christian who followed Jesus’s example in her daily life. She was a popular Sunday school teacher at many of the churches they visited, and she was always ready to talk about her faith with anyone who was interested. She had a gift for putting the truths of God’s Word into everyday language. Madolyn and Mark spent their final years as committed and enthusiastic churchgoers. In August, they would have been married for 67 years.
The Ocala, Florida-based Madolyn is survived by her four children, Rhonda Drusendahl, Marcia Stevens, Mary Box, and Joel Hosea; two sisters, Esther Pierce and Sheila Patten-O’Leary; six grandchildren, Robert Cray, Rachael Phelps, Jarrod Stevens, Shane Stevens, Jenna Box Sarkissian, and Mason Box; 15 great-grandchildren; and many nephews and nieces.