1942 - 2018 (75 years)
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Name |
Roche, Angela [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] |
Born |
21 Apr 1942 |
Ireland [5] |
Gender |
Female |
Died |
23 Jan 2018 [5] |
Person ID |
I17418 |
Our Family |
Last Modified |
16 Jan 2024 |
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Notes |
- Clients and colleagues alike were saddened to hear of the passing of Angela Burr-Madsen. Many of us
in both Ireland and the U.S. have lost a mentor, therapist, colleague and dear friend.
Early Years
Angela was born in Ireland as Angela Roche. Shortly afterwards, in the mid-1940s, when work was
scarce, Angela?s parents moved to England. Such was her parents? commitment to Ireland that, at the
age of seven, Angela was sent back to live with an aunt in County Tipperary. Two years later, her
parents were able to return and buy a home and business in Greystones, which became their family
base for the next fifty years.
Angela attended Boarding School in Co Wicklow and left school with well-developed artistic talents.
She was immediately accepted as a member of the Irish Ballet Company, with whom she toured
overseas. Returning home from one particular tour of the United States, Angela told her parents that
she wanted to live in California. She emigrated in 1963, and California was home from then on.
A New Passion
Angela?s interest in the Arts, particularly dance, continued for the next fifteen years, during which
time she married and had children. As a young mother, she noted problems with the availability of
healthy food and the dominance of high-sugar fizzy drinks. She experimented by removing such
products from her own children?s diets and found that the children were more relaxed as a result.
After sharing this finding with teachers, other concerned mothers who were prompted to make similar
changes experienced the same outcomes. A new passion was born.
Angela commenced her study of Naturopathy, attending an established training centre in Mexico to
develop her skills. From there, she took up Kinesiology and continued to expand her knowledge of
natural medicine. By the age of thirty-five, Angela had quit the performing arts and commenced
practice as a Traditional Naturopath. She built up a successful full-time practice which she maintained
until ill health prevented further work in the autumn of 2017.
A Leading Voice
Angela established a training school, Gateways College, which offered short courses as well as a fouryear professional diploma course in Naturopathy. Students travelled to California from all over the
United States to participate in her courses. Along the way, she developed a programme specifically
focused on nutrition called PRANA (Polarity Reflex Analysis and Nutritional Assessment). This was
an advanced module for students who wanted to evolve muscle testing and nutritional assessment as a
stand-alone modality. Angela?s experience and insight was held in high esteem and she was
frequently invited to present at international, professional speaking engagements.
She is one of the visionary advocates and leaders in the renaissance of natural therapies that we have
witnessed over the past forty years. In the 1980s, she canvassed the Governor of California to
implement controls on the widespread promotion of high sugar drinks to children. Twenty years later,
she was a member of the team that presented to the California Legislature prior to the introduction of
the State?s Naturopathic Bill. She served as President of the Californian Naturopathic Association for
two terms. She also authored a number of books on natural medicine and healthy living.
Connection with Roots
In 1990, she established her Kinesiology training in Ireland. Angela made twice-yearly, three-weeklong visits to spend time with her elderly parents and combined this with teaching-related
commitments. Her influence expanded when she met with a new enterprise, New Vistas Healthcare.
Martin Murray recalls an early morning phone call from a lady that spoke rather fast. It was Angela.
She was eager to explore, having encountered one of their products the previous day. She said, „I have
been looking for remedies like this for 10 years, we must meet?. From that call, a great professional
and personal relationship evolved. Martin credits Angela as a real creative influence in the
development of their vision and product range. Detoxification was one of her core principles, with
health restoration through nutrition, homoeopathy and herbal medicines. Angela?s ability to articulate
the concept enabled New Vistas to bring Homoeotherapy to Ireland and later overseas.
Despite her 50 years in the U.S., at a time of great change, Angela maintained her relationship with
nature. Whilst her family lived in County Wicklow, the Burren in County Clare held a special
resonance for her. She first visited as a teenager on a school tour, and again shortly before she
emigrated. During her visits throughout the 1980s and onwards, she would travel to the Burren every
year. She had a strong awareness that historically, this was a place of great healing and pilgrimage,
and the rock formations, holy wells and shrines were indicative to the energy she resonated with. She
would frequently stay over, sit outside in the evening and watch the sun go down over the high
Burren. Next morning she woke at 5 am to drive to Fanore Beach to walk the green road for an hour,
before heading back to her hotel and preparing for a two hour drive to deliver a 10 am seminar on
Kinesiology. Along the way, she met local botanist, Leween Hill, and together they collected samples
of the native Burren flowers, which later led to the publication of Angela?s book „Burren Flower
Remedies?.
A Life Well Lived
Angela enjoyed life and lived it to the full. She was a bundle of energy, which she shared with
students and clients alike. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She had a great grasp of biology and body
chemistry and could relate it so precisely to peoples? needs, ailments, emotional states and illnesses.
She was also a very spiritual person, always acknowledging the good in people and working with
them in the light of love and of a higher presence.
Her last visit to Ireland was to attend the wedding of her dear friend Rosaleen Kelly?s daughter Sarah
in 2015. Angela was so happy to hear of the desire of many therapists to further their PRANA
training. She was so looking forward to resuming PRANA teachings as well as presenting her new
workshop „Karmic Cleansing System? based on her latest book „The Choice Between Two Trees?.
Plans were in place to get this training underway in 2017, but sadly it wasn?t to be.
In summing up Angela, the best tribute came from her beloved husband Ed, who wrote: "I am torn
between grief and relief. Her suffering is over. Looking back on thirty years with my wife and friend, I
cannot believe my luck and good fortune."
To Ed, her children, Kevin and Mia, and eight grandchildren, we extend our sincere sympathy.
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Sources |
- [S1] geni.com.
- [S14] Facebook.
- [S313] California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;).
- [S184] Nevada, Marriage Index, 1956-2005, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;).
- [S48] Obit, for Elizabeth.
- [S1] geni.com, Jeanette Small.
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