Paul Lee Madren, Jr.

Paul L. Madren, Jr. passed away peacefully on Monday, December 1, 2025, at the North Carolina State Veteran’s Home at Kernersville, NC. Mr. Madren was 94 years old and lived independently at home in Mount Airy up until his recent hospitalization. He was born on May 31,1931 in Alamance County to the late Paul Madren, Sr and Lena. He was the oldest of 6 children.

Mr. Madren earned a certificate in Electrical Technology from Morehead City Technical Institute, served in the US Air Force, served in Korea (1952-1953), and earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from NC State University in 1959. As an electrical engineer, he worked at Bendix Radio, Raytheon and IBM. While he was employed at Bendix Radio, he received a patent for a 100 MHz analog-to-digital converter. While at Raytheon, Mr. Madren worked on projects which involved using conversion of analog to digital signals to improve communication with rockets for the moon walk. While he was with IBM, Paul was involved with designing circuits for typewriters and printers to communicate, as well as working on teams to write the guidelines for today’s internet. Mr. Madren was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at NC State University in 2018.

Mr. Madren married Margaret Emily Jenkins on February 13, 1955, in Mount Airy. They had 3 children (Becky, Paul and Elizabeth) and lived in Raleigh NC, Baltimore MD, Norwood MA, and Lexington KY before moving back to the Triangle in 1966 to live in Cary, NC. In retirement, they moved to Mount Airy in 2002.

Outside of work, Mr. Madren's main hobby was beekeeping, and he was an active member of the NC Beekeepers Association. He was a charter member of the Wake County Beekeepers Association. He was a NC State Master Craftsman Beekeeper and frequently worked fairs and educational events to guide others on the benefits of bees, as well as teaching beekeeping classes at Surry Community College. His award-winning jars of honey were prized possessions of anyone lucky enough to receive one. He had been keeping bees for more than 60 years, and had bees in Wake County, Surry County, and the mountains of Virginia. Mr. Madren was also actively involved in the Mount Airy community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, actively involved in the First Baptist Church of Mount Airy as Deacon and Sunday School Teacher, and actively participated in many service projects with the Surry Sunrise Rotary Club. He particularly loved the Rotary service project “Packing the Den” which works to relieve food insecurity with students in Mount Airy.

Many summers were spent at the Madren’s mountain house in Fancy Gap, VA where family and friends frequently visited them. He and Margaret loved the simpler life in the mountains and looked forward to Spring each year, which signaled a move back up to the mountain house. Mr. Madren loved spending time taking walks with Margaret, gardening, playing golf, beekeeping, and teaching his grandchildren how to drive tractors and to fish in the creek.

Mr. Madren had the honor of participating in the Triad Honor Flight to Washington DC in September 2023 with his son, Paul. He was a proud veteran and honored to participate and speak at various veteran celebrations and memorials.

Mr. Madren is survived by two daughters, Becky Gilfillan and husband Marc of Cary, NC, Beth Southard and Randy of Stokesdale, NC; and son, Paul Madren, III and wife Kelly of John’s Creek, GA; five grandchildren, Sarah Parunak and husband Matthew, Robert Gilfillan and wife Jolean, Brent Kasai and wife Danielle, Christian Kasai and fiancee Katie, Andrew Madren; one great-grandson, Luke Parunak; and sisters, Jane Knapel of San Mateo, CA, and Sara Underwood and husband Daniel of Winston-Salem, NC. 

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, 3:00 PM at the First Baptist Church of Mount Airy with Rev. Jay Meadows and Dr. Roger Gilbert officiating. Interment will follow in Oakdale Cemetery with graveside rites by the VFW Memorial Honor Guard. The family will visit with friends from 1:30 until 3:00 PM at the church. Flowers will be accepted or donations in his honor may be made to First Baptist Church of Mount Airy Endowment Fund, 714 North Main Street Mount Airy, NC 27030 or to The Surry Sunrise Rotary Club for the “Packing the Den” service project: Packing the Den, a service project sponsored by Surry Sunrise Rotary, is a food packing program that addresses reducing food insecurities for students across the Mount Airy City Schools District. Paul was an integral part of the project every year. Submit checks to Surry Sunrise Rotary with Packing the Den in the memo line to P.O. Box 6254, Mount Airy, NC 27030. Moody Funeral Service of Mount Airy is serving the Madren family.