Naomi Ruth Adams (nee Chadwick)

MONONA – Naomi Ruth Adams (nee Chadwick), age 90, passed away early on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at St. Mary’s Hospital. She was born on June 5, 1921, in Dresser Junction, while the family was away from their home in Viola. She was the daughter and third child of Clarence Clyde Chadwick of Barnham, and Jessie Belle Hankins of Viola. She was raised on a small dairy and tobacco farm with her four sisters and a brother just outside Viola. Nearby Chadwick Hollow Road, now bears the name of the family for the many farmsteads in the area. Naomi graduated from Viola High School in 1939, and worked for a time as a nanny for families in Chicago. Upon returning home, she met Edward Orvis Adams, Jr. of LaFarge, Wisconsin and they married March 22, 1941, in Des Moines, IA. They remained together until his death on February 17, 1990. The couple resided in Madison, Mazomanie and settled in Monona on Shore Acres Road in 1956. All four children were graduates of Monona Grove High School. Naomi entered the workforce in the 1950’s and worked at the Badger Army Ordinance plant, then after moving to Madison began working at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation eventually becoming a laboratory technician where she assisted researchers during the accidental discovery of Warfarin, better known as Coumadin. She continued working as a lab tech at Hazelton Labs and Ralston Purina until her retirement in 1983. After her husband’s passing she began working as a cashier at ShopKo SouthTowne and worked part-time until 83 years of age. For many years, Naomi raised Chihuahua puppies and was never without a dog in her life for very long. She and her husband owned a vacation home on the Embarrass River in Shawno County for over 30 years, sharing many good times with her sisters who each had land nearby. She enjoyed playing sheepshead and euchre with friends and family and was a “dyed in the wool” Packer fan. Naomi was also an expert baker of bread, pies and doughnuts – skills which she as passed on to daughters and granddaughters alike. Later in life she was able to travel as she had always wanted visiting Jamaica, Oregon, Florida, Arizona and Las Vegas. We will miss Naomi’s quick wit, dry humor, and expressive use of many colloquial terms (always good for a laugh) - all of which will live on in our stories and remembrances. She is preceded in death by parents; her husband, Edward O. Adams, Jr.; four siblings; and her son, Edward O. Adams, III. Surviving are her three daughters, Janet (Donald) Theobald of Madison, Kathryn E. Adams of McFarland, and Stephanie Sobczak (Nancy Burger) of Madison; and daughter-in-law, Kullike Adams of Loudon, TN.; her sister, Annabelle (Carl)Jungbluth of Tigerton, WI and Leesburg, Florida; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank the many caregivers who helped Naomi with her comfort and peace of mind over the past few years: Barbara White of Moontree Psychotherapy, Dr. Robert Boyle of Dean Clinic East, the staff of both Harmony Assisted Living and Oak Park Place, Drs. Davenport and Choles and the caring staff of 5E at St. Mary’s Hospital. A gathering for remembrance and internment of ashes will be held at Highland Memory Gardens in early June 2012. Memorials on behalf of Naomi Adams may be made to the Dane County Humane Society.