Madeleine S. Large

Madeleine Sophie Large, beloved wife of Edward Wilson Large, Jr., of Hartford and Boca Raton, died Saturday, July 5, 2008 at St. Francis Hospital. Born in Philadelphia the daughter of the late William Lytle and Cecelia Martha Morris Redditt, she was raised in Havertown, PA, the fourth of six children. Madeleine attended Notre Dame Academy and later was the first female graduate of St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland Law School and then joined the Wall Street firm of Shearman & Sterling where she was one of the first women to practice corporate law and where she met her husband. After her engagement to Ed, Madeleine left Shearman & Sterling to open her own successful Wall Street firm, Cray & Redditt. During that time, she regularly appeared as a trial attorney on the CBS daytime drama "The Verdict is Yours." She was a vocalist and co-wrote many songs with pianist Johnnie Blair, under the pseudonym Mattie Hanson. After the birth of their first child, Madeleine and Ed moved to the Hartford area and had four more children. In Connecticut, Madeleine continued to pursue her musical interests, writing and producing two records in the late 1960's and early 1970's. She was passionate about civil liberties, and in 1971 founded the citizens' action group "Families Against Censored Television" and testified before Congress on behalf of our right to free speech. An avid silver and antiques collector, she owned and operated the antique store "Madeleine" in West Hartford from 1978-1982. She was a devoted mother to her five children, Edward W. Large III, Christopher M. Large, Gregory L. Large who predeceased her in 1997, Gustavus A. H. Large and Jennifer Large Wyman. She was a mentor and benefactress to many of their friends. She was a loving grandmother to Gregory, Kyle, Madeleine, Chase, Christopher, Annabelle, and Owen. In addition to her husband, children and grandchildren, she is survived by her brother James, her sister Rosemary, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and beloved friends. Funeral services will be Thursday at 10:00 a.m. with the celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial in the Church of St. Timothy, 1116 N. Main Street, West Hartford. Burial will be private. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Molloy Funeral Home has care of arrangements.

Madeleine S. Large

July 7, 2008