The Heartbroken Husky: A Very Personal Story
Lynn Madsen and Krista Boodry together were a Pac-10 power couple.
He was a defensive tackle who made a name for himself in the University of Washington's well-heeled football program, sharing in five bowl games.
She was a two-year starter at first base and helped turn the University of Arizona into the budding softball powerhouse that it is today.
He wore No. 68.
She pulled on No. 25.
They formed their own all-conference team.
These former athletes met through a mutual friend in Southern California, married and had three daughters, Laurel, Blair and Logan.
Krista kept everyone in line.
"She was no nonsense," Lynn said. "I'd go off in tangents and she'd say, 'Get to the point.' She was the boss."
Life seemed good, promising, busy for two devoted parents.
Sadly, not long after Krista gave birth for the third and final time, she determined something wasn't right. She found a lump in her body.
The diagnosis was breast cancer.
For four years, the Madsens fought the illness together, relying on their athletic competitiveness, on courage.
On August 25, 2003, Krista passed away at home in Vista, California.
Lynn was at her side to the end.
She'd helped pick out her cemetery plot.
He'd been her hospice nurse.
Their marriage lasted 15 years. They wanted 15 more. And 15 after that.
"You get tidal waves of grief that hit you out of nowhere," he said of his mourning period. "You can't fix it. I'd just go some place and bawl my eyes out."
A former pro football player in the NFL, USFL and CFL, Lynn Madsen was left to raise three young daughters by himself.
How do you do that?
He had to be both parents. He wasn't sure how to do that. He relied on lessons on resiliency from UW coach Don James.
The girls needed their mother. They only had dad. Everyone had to adjust.
These remaining Madsens moved from California to Nebraska and back to California, dealing with changing economies and chasing different opportunities. Somehow, they made it work.
His daughters are grown now, college educated and out on their own. Lynn resides outside of Dallas.
He's never remarried. He misses Krista. Lynn says he hit a home run with her, and he can't top that.
"I played five years of college football and five years of pro football, and I played against a lot of hall of famers," he said. "The greatest warrior I ever saw was my wife."
He's an aspiring videographer now, using his trade to tell stories. This one is about him and her. The Madsen team.
Listen to Lynn's heart-wrenching account, set to music, forever embossed in his memory. Feel free to shed a tear at any time.