Ernest Louis Madsen

Ernest (“Ernie”) Louis Madsen, 87, of Madison, Wisconsin, died on August 24, 2024 from complications associated with heart failure. Ernie was born on December 30, 1936 to Gwendolyn Imogene and Ernest Leonard Madsen in Sparta, WI. 

On June 20, 1964, Ernie married Helen Hillhouse in Ithaca, NY. Ernie and Helen had two children: Louis Albert and Leonard Ashby. Ernie will be remembered for supporting Helen in her 30+ year career as a lawyer at a time when few women even attended law school. In addition, he achieved great professional success while consistently coming home from work promptly and sharing with Helen the tasks of preparing healthy family dinners and cleaning up afterward. Helen and Ernie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2024 and maintained their love for each other until the end. 

After Ernie graduated from Suitland High School in District Heights, MD in 1954, he obtained a BS and MS in physics at University of Maryland and then went on to earn his PhD in solid-state physics at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Ernie taught physics briefly at Ohio U. (Athens, OH), U. Wisconsin River Falls, and Pembroke State U. in Lumberton, NC before discovering the field of Medical Physics and moving to University of Wisconsin, Madison. Starting as a postdoctoral researcher at UW, Ernie was promoted to associate professor and then full professor and stayed in the Medical Physics department until his partial retirement in 2002 and full retirement in 2014. Ernie’s work in the physics of medical imaging (mostly ultrasound but also CT and MRI) led to significant advances in tumor detection and tissue analysis, including over 100 published articles and 15 patents (many of them licensed and commercialized) related to his work. Ernie cared deeply about his research and its human health significance, and he continued to work on medical imaging projects long after his retirement. 

Ernie enjoyed camping and other outdoor activities, and he and Helen took the family on many canoeing and hiking adventures in WI, MN, CO, SD, MI, and Ontario. He was an avid gardener, and he was passionate about preparing fresh nutritious food. Ernie and Helen regularly attended church from the 1970s-1990s at Parkside Presbyterian Church on Lien Rd, and for the last 25+ years at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Ernie and Helen wrote an annual Christmas letter to about 100 recipients, to which he delighted in adding a page of (often provocative) comics, commentary, and jokes. 

Ernie was preceded in death by his father, mother, and daughter-in-law Christine Kaestle. He is survived by his wife Helen Hillhouse Madsen, his sons Louis (Victoria) and Leonard (Oakley), his grandchildren Arthur, Hermius, and Liz, and his brother Mark (Jane). 

An open celebration of life service will be held on Saturday September 14 at 4:00 PM at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 326 S. Segoe Rd in Madison. There will be a visitation starting at 3:00 PM and a reception with food and drink buffet after the service. Flowers and cards can be sent to Helen Madsen, 6205 Mineral Point Rd, Apartment 701, Madison, WI 53705. 

In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to one of the following organizations that Ernie supported: 

Population Connection (populationconnection.org) 

United Negro College Fund (uncf.org)