Ernie "Birdman" Maden III died on June 16, 2016, at the age of 42.
Ernie is survived by his parents, Rosemary and Ernest Maden Jr., his sister Jennifer Maden-Singleton and his brother-in-law Eric Singleton, canine companion Luke II, and large extended families of the Gentiles, Madens, Croces, and Munyans.
Ernie was born December 28, 1973, in Woodbury, NJ. A 1993 graduate from Paulsboro High School, he pursued education at Gloucester County Community College, Electrical Trades at Gloucester County Institute of Technology, and ultimately found his calling as an electrician upon completing a rigorous 5-year Journeyman Electrical Apprenticeship in 2001 with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351.
Ernie's character was defined by kindness, generosity, and integrity. He found deep satisfaction in helping family, friends, and even random strangers. He was driven by his strong work ethic, his reliability and trustworthiness, and his loyalty to those he loved. Ernie was a giver, a fixer of broken things (and people), and a rock for many of us for most of his life.
As a child Ernie was curious, fearless and an avid explorer. He enjoyed dismantling clocks, electronics, and engines to see how they worked, although it took until adulthood for him to determine how to re-assemble them. He loved nature, exploring the local wilderness with friends and relatives by foot, bike and boat. Ernie proved to be a natural athlete, with surprising speed and strength for his compact and wiry frame. As a toddler he was such a fast runner that no adult could catch him, and given his propensity to take flight in a blink of the eye, his mother was an early adopter of the child harness and leash. As an adolescent, Ernie would sit in a tire swing, grab the rope with his bare hands, scale up the rope hand over hand (with his legs still casually crossed in the swing), and ultimately easily pulled himself up to sit atop the branch from which the swing hung. He was on the varsity team all four years of high school with the Paulsboro High School Red Raider's Wrestling Team, with 108 individual career victories and a #1 in the state team victory.
Following high school, Ernie worked with a local residential electrician for several years during the early stage of his higher education. Upon joining the IBEW, he embarked on a 15+ year professional relationship with Nelson B. Cooney, Inc. as a key team member of the full service commercial/industrial electrical contracting firm. At Cooney, he proved to be not only an excellent electrician, but a strategic planner and manager suited to running large teams on multi-million dollar projects.
The Ernie Maden III Memorial has been established for those wishing to contribute. Funds will be used to honor Ernie's through charitable acts to community causes, nature conservancy and animal rescue missions. Donations can be submitted to the fund's administrator, Jennifer Maden, 442 Democrat Road, Gibbstown, NJ 08027, with memo noted as Ernie Maden III Memorial Fund. Cash donations can be submitted at the funeral services as well.
A viewing will be on Monday 6-9pm and Tuesday 10-11am at the LANDOLFI FUNERAL HOME of Paulsboro, 300 W. Broad St., with services immediately following at 11am. Interment Eglington Cemetery, Clarksboro. To share memories/condolences visit www.landolfifuneralhome.com