By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/12/21
The Philly lacrosse community is mourning the sudden loss of James Clifton “Cliff” Madden, 22, of Devon, a starter on Conestoga’s 2018 Central League champion team who died Dec. 1 after a long battle with an undiagnosed illness.
Relatives and friends are invited to a “Celebration of Life” service on December 18th at 11 AM at the Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave, Wayne, PA, followed by a reception at the St. David’s Country Club.
Cliff was known for his remarkable academic skills at Conestoga and Penn State University, and his commitment to the community. He served as a youth lacrosse coach for the past 5 years with TeamTEN in the Conestoga area.
Cliff was named a Distinguished Scholar and a US Lacrosse Academic All-American in 2018 as a senior on a team that qualified for the state tournament. Conestoga Lacrosse also honored Cliff with the Herzlich Award, which recognizes the player who best represents the program on the field and in the community. He coached young lacrosse players, taking great pride in teaching them the game and helping them develop by displaying his love for and knowledge of the sport – according to his obituary through Alleva Funeral Home.
Conestoga coach Brody Bush, who coached and taught Cliff for four years and nominated him for Academic All-American, said he embodied the Conestoga lacrosse student-athlete.
“If there was anyone you’d pick to represent Conestoga lacrosse it would be Cliff,” said Bush. “He was always about others. You knew he was going to make such a difference in the world in a good way.
“Cliff, academically, was a lot of times the smartest kid in the class. He excelled in everything and could have gone anywhere.
“He was just an amazing kid to coach. I would put in an offensive system and he would ask more questions of any player I ever coached. But he was also a kid that would laugh, and joke around. He had a great sense of humor, and I was so proud for him with his academics and so happy he received All-American. It was so well deserved.”
Cliff also was coached at Conestoga by assistant John Bickel, who hired him as a coach for TeamTEN. Bickel said Cliff was the ultimate role model and motivator for young lacrosse players.
“The thig was he was always smiling; we was always the happiest person there,” Bickel said. “That transitions to (young) kids really well. Kids gravitate to that.
“We worked with all age groups, from 2025 to 2030. When my wife told my son, who is a 2025, (that Cliff had passed) he texted me and asked if he could change his number to 13 for Cliff. You can’t imagine how someone can impact a kid; that’s the kind of impact he had.”
Bickel said Cliff never showed any anger toward his physical problems in the recent years. “He was always such a positive person,” he said. “On the inside he probably didn’t feel great, but on the outside you’d never know.”
Following high school, Cliff attended The Schreyer Honors college at Penn State and was awarded the Torabi-Dussinger Scholarship by the Smeal College of Business as well as the Academic Excellence Scholarship. Cliff was accepted to work at the Nittany Lion Fund, a student-run hedge fund, where he rose to Director of Equity Research before accepting an investment banking internship in New York.
According to the obituary, at Penn State, Cliff maintained an active social life as a popular member and officer of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Cliff’s favorite activity was spending time with his close group of friends. Whether they were from Conestoga or Penn State, he appreciated and loved them, often taking on the role of entertainer.
Cliff was struck by an unexplained and undiagnosed illness in 2019, according to the obituary. Over the past two years, he and his family were on a medical odyssey, but no doctor could provide a diagnosis or a treatment. Never wanting to be a victim or ask for special treatment, Cliff could still be Cliff for short periods of time, but the disease was relentless and overcame him.
He is survived by his parents, Caroline and Jim, and his sister, Julia.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Cliff’s memory to The National Organization of Rare Disorders and the The Undiagnosed Disease Network Foundation.
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