Madis was born in Tallinn, Estonia on May 25, 1943. He was the only child of Hans and Erika Sulg. His dad was an official with the Estonian Railroad and his mother was an English teacher. Russia had formally “annexed” Estonia into the Soviet Union in 1940.

As WWII raged, the German army moved eastward to attack Russia. For a very brief period, the Russian army retreated, and in late 1943 Hans and Erika were able to escape with two suitcases and their infant son by ship to Germany. Madis and his parents spent six years in a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. A Presbyterian Church in the state of Washington sponsored their immigration to the United States.

Madis grew up in Wenatchee, Washington and graduated from Wenatchee High School, where he was a champion debater and played the tuba in the marching band. Madis always loved his “hometown” which was situated on the beautiful Columbia River. Irrigation from that river provided water for acres of fruit trees and made Wenatchee famous as “The Apple Capital of the World.”

Upon graduation, Madis attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston where he majored in mathematics and was a member of their prestigious debate team. Upon graduation, he was accepted at both Harvard Law School and the Sloan School of Business at MIT. He chose to remain at MIT, where he earned his MBA. While studying there, he answered a help-wanted advertisement for a Debate Coach at Stonehill College.

That was a life-changing decision. The Stonehill debate team had about ten members and one was a sassy girl named Diane Detellis. Madis and Diane became their own personal debate team and became engaged and in1967. By that time Madis was working for a Boston consulting firm, Harbridge House, and was leading a study to solve the lack of spare helicopter parts for the US Army in Vietnam.

When Uncle Sam sent Madis his draft notice, it prompted Diane and Madis to move their wedding date to December 30, 1967. However, his experience at Harbridge House attracted attention and Madis was called out of basic training to interview in Washington, DC. He served his two years working in the Army Chief of Staff’s office at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

In 1970, Madis and Diane returned to Massachusetts where Madis worked for Converse. In 1974 they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Danielle Marie. Several years later, Madis accepted a position with AMF, a huge sporting goods corporation located in Connecticut. In 1977, they celebrated the birth of their second daughter, Michaella Erika.

When Madis’ boss became CEO of Bandag, a leading tire retreading company, he asked Madis to join him as Vice President. So, it was off to Iowa for 21 years. Vacation time in those years usually meant visiting families on both coasts, Washington and Massachusetts. Madis also served as CEO of Sieg Auto Parts in Davenport, Iowa and consulted as a turn-around expert for troubled companies in both Iowa and Michigan.

When he retired in 2001, Madis and Diane moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Together they opened Maddi’s Gallery, a fun-filled shop featuring handmade American craft, jewelry and Southern folk art. They loved meeting artists, attending national, wholesale trade shows, and driving the winding roads of the South to meet folk artists.

To Madis’ joy both his daughters, Danielle Katsamas and Michaella Dalton live nearby. He enjoyed playing trivia every week hosted by his son-in-law Andrew Katsamas and dearly loved his four grandsons, Eric and Matthew Katsamas and Miller and Madden Dalton. His family was everything to him.

He also loved politics, playing bridge, all spectator sports and reading. He amassed a huge and totally diverse library. He travelled the world for business and took his family on many adventures in both this country and Europe. The highlight of his travels were the two trips he took to Estonia. Madis was both bright and sweet and he could talk to anybody about virtually anything. He leaves behind many friends and a family that will miss him forever.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/madis-sulg/obituary/

Copy