Madeline Rae Stango, 99, of Largo, FL, passed away peacefully September 13, 2017.  She was born in Normal, Illinois October 28, 1917 to the late Wilbur and Bessie Stewart.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred A. Stango; her brother, Donald W. Stewart, Columbia, MO; and her great-grandson, Kenny Proctor, Hudson,FL. Those left to cherish her memory are her son, Marty (Hilda) Stango of Jacksonville; her daughter, Marilyn (Tom) Ryan of Largo; her granddaughter, Deborah (Ken) Proctor of Hudson; her grandson, David (Tia) Gooding of Valrico; and five great-grandchildren.

Madeline’s granddaughter, Debbie Gooding Proctor, said “she was a smart, strong, supportive, loving woman who put her family first. Growing up in Lewes, I blessed to live in a duplex with a shared door to my grandparents house that my brother and I could go back and forth between. We took family trips (Disney and Washington DC stand out), had breakfast together every morning, lived everyday together, celebrated every holiday, and had family dinners together. When I was growing up she had a career as a bank manager, supported Pop-Pop’s mayoral activities, cooked amazing food, and always had coconut cake, butter pecan or mint chocolate chip ice cream ready for dessert. Years later when we moved to Florida they followed shortly after. My children got to visit and spend time with their great-grandparents on a regular basis. The family celebrations and dinners never stopped. We were recently all together for Labor Day and Katie and Quinntin had just visited the weeks before. I have so many happy memories and she lived an amazing life. She will be missed so much by all of us! We knew her time was getting close and luckily we all had a chance to say our goodbyes. She is with Pop-Pop and my sweet Kenny now. (Those guys have been on their own for a while now so I’m sure they’re ready for some of her loving, cooking and mothering.) Trying not to be sad, but filled with joy and love for all the time that we had and all the memories we created!”

Madeline’s grandson, David Gooding, said, ”We were hoping she would make it to her 100th birthday; but, in usual Stango fashion, she had her mind made up and decided it was time to go. Mom-Mom is now pain free and up in Heaven with Pop-Pop and my nephew Kenny. I know those two have been missing her, so I can be at peace knowing that they are all together now watching over us. She definitely helped make me into the man I am today and I am so grateful to her. When we lived in Delaware, we shared a duplex with my grandparents, and we were very close as a family. We would all have breakfast every single morning together and she was a fantastic cook. I would always love going to her side of the house because she always had some amazing Italian food ready or a sweet treat to offer. Butter Pecan ice cream was her favorite and became mine too. Then, after Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop moved down to Florida permanently, we always went to their house for Sunday dinners. That was a weekly tradition and some of my fondest memories are from those Sunday family dinners. That is where I got my passion for cooking from. And, because of her and Pop-Pop, my sister and I got to do quite a bit of traveling when we were kids. We would always go somewhere every summer, such as Hershey Park, Great Adventure, Dutch Wonderland, Busch Gardens, Disney World etc. The list goes on and on of places they took us. We were definitely blessed to have such wonderful grandparents. I owe a lot to my Mom-Mom. She was one of the strongest, most caring, loving, compassionate, and hardest working women I have ever met. My family was so blessed to have her in our lives for so long and she will be deeply missed. I love you Mom-Mom. Thank you for all you did for our family.”

In lieu of flowers, donate to your favorite charity, the Epilepsy foundation or to Hospice.