OCALA, Fla. – Madolyn Enid (Closson) Hosea, 86, of Ocala, peacefully entered the Lord’s presence on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, at 6:15 a.m. surrounded by family in the care of Hospice of Marion County.

She was born in Vassalboro, Maine, on Sept. 15, 1936, the daughter of Wyman and Lillian (Dolley) Closson. She was the fourth of six children, was blessed early on with the gift of discernment, and delighted many with her talent for cooking, baking and painting. She attended culinary arts courses as a young woman and became a skilled cake decorator.

Madolyn met the love of her life, Mark Tingley Hosea, at Advent Christian Church in Waterville. Not long after, they married Aug. 6, 1955, when she was 19 years old. Together they had four children, Rhonda, Marcia, Mary and Joel, whom they raised in their North Vassalboro home, the White Haven, that doubled as a boarding house for seniors.

Throughout her twenties and thirties, Madolyn was not only a devoted wife and mother but simultaneously worked as the sole manager, chef and caretaker for the White Haven residents.

When Mark moved the family to Florida in 1975 to serve at Forest Assembly of God Church in Silver Springs, Madolyn remained the ever-stable and constant cornerstone for her family. Madolyn worked long bakery shifts at the Kash n’ Karry and Publix, and she made their little house in the forest a home in her spare time.

Madolyn was a deeply faithful, practical, observant, honest, dependable, consistent, hard-working and selfless woman. She had a keen, sharp sense of humor that could make a stony-faced person burst out in deep belly laughs when you’d least expect it. She loved deep maroon and grayish blue, red birds and mallard ducks, oil painting and Chinese checkers. Most of all, she loved her husband Mark and was known to dress him in clothes that matched her for any special outings. She also had an exceptional knack for making homemade bread and spaghetti, much to her grandchildren’s (and Mark’s) delight.

Madolyn was a faithful woman of God, walking in the light of Jesus. She enjoyed teaching Sunday school in most of the churches they attended and sharing the Good News with anyone who might inquire. She could explain God’s Word in the simplest terms that were easily understood. Throughout the final years of their life, Madolyn and Mark remained dedicated and active members of their church. They would have celebrated 67 years of marriage in August.

Madolyn is survived by her children, Rhonda Drusendahl, Marcia Stevens, Mary Box and Joel Hosea, of Ocala; her sisters Esther Pierce of Jaffrey, NH, and Sheila Patten-O’Leary of Boston, Mass.; six grandchildren, Robert Cray, Rachael Phelps, Jarrod Stevens, Shane Stevens, Jenna Box Sarkissian, and Mason Box; 15 great-grandchildren; and many nephews and nieces.

A service for Madolyn was held Monday, Dec. 12, at Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens, 5050 SW 20th St., in Ocala.

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