Local couple’s book focuses on importance of sharing life stories
Pete and Marie Madsen are the authors of “Book of Boomers: Our Journey through Life.” Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – We all have stories to tell and can learn a lot about each other if we take the time to listen.
“People don’t take time to talk and ask each other about their lives,” said Pete Madsen. “Life stories matter.”
Madsen and his wife Marie decided to share the life stories of some of the people they’ve met throughout their journeys in life in their new book, “Book of Boomers: Our Journey through Life.”
Pete is a retired school teacher who loves to tell stories and Marie has practice writing people’s stories because of her work as a guardian ad litem. By playing on each other’s strengths they were able to record the stories of 10 different people and share a little bit about themselves and the more than 6,000 miles they traveled while doing research for their book.
The people they interviewed were friends, neighbors, or one time co-workers who are all Baby Boomers born between the years of 1946 and 1964. They all had experience in a variety of fields from artists to educators to retired pilots and a number of other careers.
“When you put your life into words you start to think about things differently,” Pete said. “You look to see how things progressed, who you are and why you are here.”
Marie said a lot of people they interviewed never really stopped to look at their life.
“The book wasn’t just about telling stories, it was also about giving them insight on how they came to be who they are,” she said. “We also got to know people better and value them even more.”
Their book costs $15 and all proceeds go to the MERCI Fund, a fund the Madsens created that is dedicated to helping others help themselves.
“My mother had a relative on her side of the family that was a millionaire that everyone inherited money from,” Marie said. “We decided to use our part of it to help other people.”
The MERCI Fund has helped sponsor scholarships and donated to other community projects anonymously.
For more on the book and purchasing it, visit www.bookofboomers.com. The Madsens also are planning a book signing at Coshocton Elementary School at the beginning of the school year that will hopefully include several of the more local people featured in the book.
“That is where I retired from and Dave Skelton (the principal) and I thought it would be a good experience for the students,” Pete said. “That is where our future writers are.”
Both Pete and Marie are thankful for those who allowed them to share their stories and hopefully make a difference in people’s lives.
“Stories are bridges that connect people to each other,” Marie said.
Category: People & Places
