In Memoriam: Longtime Shore Area Resident, RBC Grad, Athlete, Richard Madigan, 84

Longtime shore area resident, Red Bank Catholic High School graduate, and lifelong athlete, Richard Madigan, passed away on Sept. 28. He was 84.

“Born in Jersey City, he grew up in Teaneck and Allenhurst and maintained a lifelong love for the Jersey shore …
Montclair was his home for 30 years, and it was there that he raised his family and started his business in 1984. In 2004, Richard returned to the Jersey shore and reconnected with Barbara Steidle, whom he had dated as a teenager and had not seen in 37 years. They rekindled their relationship, married several years later, and made their home in Oceanport. Barbara and Richard were able to enjoy their time together through the same happy lens of growing up at the shore in the 1950s and ’60s. Barbara predeceased him in 2016.

Richard was a lifelong athlete who especially enjoyed handball, running and golf. He was a great lover of reading, sports and the beach, as well as an avid genealogist, spending hours constructing family trees and gathering an archive for his nieces, nephews and children. Having lunch or a beer with old friends on his porch while they solved the world’s problems was one of his greatest pleasures. He also loved creating family traditions. Among his children’s fondest memories were Christmas Eve trips to New York City, with stops at FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Center, and Benihana …

“At age 13, Richard worked as a caddy at Deal Golf & Country Club, where he became known as ‘Loopy,’ a well-earned nickname fondly given to a skinny kid willing to carry golf bags larger than he was out on the course, hour after hour. At Red Bank Catholic High School, he was an all-state baseball player. Legend has it that he set a particularly memorable record: an equal number of strikeouts and batters hit by pitches, an unusual distinction that became part of the family lore …

“Richard’s greatest pride was his family … He was deeply proud of his Irish heritage, treasuring its traditions, stories, and strong sense of family … He will be remembered by his family and friends for his loyalty, independence, competitive spirit, Irish pride, and sense of humor. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.”
Loved ones of Richard Madigan in his obituary

After graduating from Fordham University in 1963 with a degree in Accounting, Richard served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. During that time, he trained OCS candidates to become second lieutenants deployed in Vietnam.

Fondly referred to as Lt. “Mad Dog” Madigan, he was honored at an OCS reunion in 2022, with former candidates stating “I owe Lt. Madigan my life” due to his leadership and training.

He earned an MBA in Taxation from Pace University and went on have a career in business and finance, eventually starting an investment advisory firm, Madigan Capital Management.

Richard is predeceased by: his parents and siblings.

He is survived by: his daughters, Wendy (Dan) Turner, of Wilmington, DE, Tracy (Frank) Grbic, of Ridgewood, and Jennifer Madigan, of New York City; his son, Richard Madigan, Jr. of Norwalk, CT; eight grandchildren, Payton, Madeline, Ella, Maggie, Jack, Michael, Calum and Mehmet.

Richard was to be interred at Woodbine Cemetery in Oceanport. Services will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Richard’s family requests that memorial contributions be made in his honor to the Monmouth Chapter of the Association of the US Army. https://www.ausa.org/chapters/monmouth-chapter.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via John E. Day Funeral Home