Madeline Kraft

May 11, 1942 — Aug. 15, 2025

Madeline Owens Kraft, 83, left her earthly home early Friday morning, Aug. 15, with her family by her side, to join and rejoice with her loved ones who went before her.

Madeline was born May 11, 1942, in Lovell to Aaron Eugene Owens and Marjorie Godfrey Owens. As her dad was serving our country, she spent the majority of her childhood with her grandparents Jessie and Butch Godfrey on Sage Creek in the Pryor Mountains. This time of her life was one of her most precious memories, and she cherished it throughout her lifetime.

She graduated from Worland High School in 1961 and met and married Johnny R. Kraft July 14, 1961, at the Justice of the Peace in Basin, celebrating 64 years of marriage this past July.

Madeline and Johnny started their young married life at the family ranch between Manderson and Worland, moving later to Tiedown between Worland and Thermopolis. They lived several years in Miles City and Lewistown, Montana, and eventually settled on Orchard Bench Road outside of Manderson. When they made the decision to stop farming they moved to Roundup, Montana, eventually returning home to Wyoming and settling in Greybull.

Madeline worked as a CNA, school bus driver and homemaker and farmed alongside Johnny.

She was an avid reader, loving and supporting the libraries, and an excellent seamstress, known for her beautiful Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that she made for her grandchildren and friends of her own children. She made the best cinnamon suckers and chocolate chip cookies you would ever taste. 

There wasn’t much she couldn’t create that she attempted, as she was very artistic and talented, passing her love of decorating, restoring furniture and taking thrift store finds and turning them into treasures and beauty. Her love of garage sales and thrift stores was passed down to her children and grandchildren.

Madeline was also an avid rock collector. She spent countless hours searching for arrowheads, and she found many. Stopping to pick wildflowers was a given, and she would press them in books and dry them. She loved flowers, plants and gardening and had a green thumb for it all. 

She was a history buff and read anything and everything she could. She was very knowledgeable in this area and loved sharing this with friends and family. Playing the piano was a favorite pastime, and she was devoted to her faith and church and could tell you anything you asked her about it. 

Several memorable events in her life were when she and Johnny would venture to Oregon where her uncle Pat Godfrey and aunt Marlene lived, the trips on the truck with Johnny and a trip to Germany to see her grandchildren, Emily and Eric Martin, who were stationed there.

Madeline loved her children and grandchildren fiercely and doted on the grandkids constantly. All the kids adored her and loved going with her.

She was beautiful and funny and had a firecracker personality that matched her red hair. She always made a friend wherever she went, loved visiting and exchanging stories and left an impact on everyone she met.

She gave what she had and protected her children and grandchildren with her life. When any one of them needed her she was there immediately. Known to friends and family as Madi, Gramma Mad or Murph, she had a personality one could never forget.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Butch and Jessie Godfrey, parents Aaron and Marjorie Owens, brother Timothy Owens, aunt Peggy Rasmussen whom she considered her sister rather than her aunt, grandson Robert Forker, son-in-law Randy Schaak and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins she loved dearly.

Madeline leaves behind her husband, Johnny, of 64 years; daughter Lynn; son John (Tanya); daughter Katherine (Kevin); son Mike (Shelley); grandchildren John Paul, Spencer, Jordan (Wes), Madi, Ben (Mikayla), Emily (Eric), Buddy, Elly (Randy), Sonny (Ashley), Shannon (Wes) and Hallie (Dusty); great-grandchildren Dusty (Pearl), Madison, Skyler, Zaiden, Paige, Dean, Carson, Addison, Levi, Kobe, Landry, Rylee, Aurora, Billy, Cooper, Audree, Cash, Charlie, Kaycee, Roman, Jazmyn, Lilly, Olive, Arwyn and Audrie.

Services will be held September 9 at 10 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 400 U.S. 20, Basin. Lunch will follow at the church with interment after in the Cowley Cemetery.

Thank you to Stillwater Hospice, Yellowstone Health, in-home health care and the Central Wyoming Hospice/Chapman House, nurses, family and friends who rallied together to take care of our mother and grandmother.

The emptiness in our hearts because of her absence will never be filled, but cherished memories will keep her alive in our hearts forever. See you when we get there. Love you forever, Mama. We know you are in a much better place, and there is no more pain.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Stillwater Hospice of Northern Wyoming.