Madelyne was a loving sister, wife to two husbands, mother of two sons, and great-grandmother.

She was generous, enjoyed hosting guests, and lived a full life including career, travel, gardening, sewing, church, the beach house, and family. Her energy and positive humor will be missed.

Madelyne passed away peacefully on March 2, 2018 at Falls River Village where she had been living for several years. Madelyne was born in Athol, South Dakota on June 15, 1929 to the late Francis and Lillian McNiff. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Preston, Minnesota, where she grew up on the family farm and graduated from high school in 1947. For a time, after her graduation, like many of the women at that time, she was a telephone operator in Rochester. She then attended beauty school in Minneapolis and upon completion she returned to Rochester. In June of 1950, she married John Balcome of Chatfield. In addition to raising two sons, she was the credit manager at Dayton’s Department Store in Rochester for a number of years before moving with her family to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1965. After relocating to Raleigh, she was the credit manager at JC Penney’s store in North Raleigh for several years. After John passed away in 1981, she worked at Amoco Oil in Raleigh in the credit department and eventually retired from there.

She and Jim McGowan were married in January of 1984. After Jim retired they especially enjoyed travelling. They went on a number of cruises and particularly enjoyed their several trips to Ireland where they were able to trace their family’s histories. She participated in a number of activities at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church including the Altar Guild. Jim was a dedicated member of the Knights of Columbus and she and Jim attended a number Knights events. In addition, they were very active in the Friends of Ireland and never missed a St. Patrick’s Day Parade. She was an accomplished seamstress who often could be found at nearby assisted living facilities helping the residents with their sewing and garment repair needs. She was an avid bowler and line-dancer before health issues forced her to cut back on those activities.

She was preceded in death by two sisters and a brother, as well as, a step-son, David McGowan.

She is survived by Jim, her husband of 33 years, her sons, Stephen (Deborah) of Charlotte, NC and Thom (JoAnna) of Raleigh NC; four grandchildren, Matthew Balcome (Danya), Kelly Balcome, John Balcome (Meryl), and Jason Balcome; two step-sons James McGowan (Peggy) of Jackson, NJ and Kevin McGowan of Cary, NC; four step-grandsons, Jimmy McGowan, Danny McGowan, Christopher McGowan, and David McGowan; one great granddaughter Lanie, two step daughters-in-law, Lib McGowan of Cary NC, Maria McGowan of Port St. Lucie FL; two sisters, Veronica Fust and Mary Lettenmaier both of Minneapolis MN; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The families will celebrate a joint Funeral Mass for Jim and Mitzie on April 27, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 5801 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, with a visiting time one hour prior to the mass.

A prayer and honor service will be held at Raleigh Memorial Park Mausoleum immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Transitions LifeCare, founded as Hospice of Wake County. https://transitionslifecare.org/