Madonna Lee Deputy

Madonna Lee Deputy, 81, Avon Indiana, formerly of Indianapolis, passed away March 21, 2023, peacefully at home. Born December 16, 1941, she was the daughter of Jack and Mary Lou Heck. Mary Lou was very involved with Girl Scouts and Madonna became a Girl Scout herself, serving the eastside community first as a scout, then later as a leader for Brownies and Girl Scouts for her daughters through the years. She was a district cookie leader, day camp director at Dellwood Girl Scout Camp and shared many scouting adventures through the years with her children and friends. She attended Christian Park School 82, serving through the years on the school’s reunion committee and stayed close to fellow graduates over the years. Madonna became a talented tap dancer like her brother Steve, and established Madonna’s Dance Studio to teach students locally. She attended Arsenal Technical High School, Indianapolis, and danced as a group with the Tech Sweethearts, a talented tap dance team in Indianapolis. Dance was a very personal business for Madonna, she was recognized as a teenage business entrepreneur by the Better Business Bureau in 1958, for Madonna’s Dance Studio. Tech Sweethearts danced for local hospitals, nursing homes, and occasions around Indy. Her high school sweetheart, Daniel Deputy, who preceded her in death in 2004, composed some of her dance music at Tech. Madonna served on the Arsenal Tech Reunion committee until she could no longer travel but these committees were important to her, and to the preservation of these eastside communities.

Mom and Dan eventually reunited after they both ventured into their own lives and raised separate families until their paths crossed again. Their blended family of Kelley, Lee, Lisa, Dan Jr. and then Laura, resided initially on the eastside and moved to the westside of Indianapolis. Madonna attended IU School of Nursing in the mid 80’s and became a nurse at Wishard hospital as an RN for ten years, then was offered a position with Indian Health Services in Gallup, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation reservation. She had several great adventures with many cultures and scenery over the next several years and enjoyed family adventures with some of her relocated family out west in Arizona. Dan passed in ’04 and Madonna continued to work out west until 2007, when she retired and moved back to Indiana to be close to her Midwest children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. She has thoroughly enjoyed running into old Tech and School 82 Alumni over the years and being involved until her health no longer allowed her to. Her last years were spent in Avon, Indiana at Independence Village, where she made many new friends. She will be missed by staff and her many friends there. In her last months of life Madonna lamented on the full life she was blessed with, and only wished for a peaceful passing, which she was blessed with.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Daniel J Deputy.  Survivors include her brother, Stephen Heck (Judy); her children Kelley Chrysty (Butch), Lee Dalzell, Lisa Pinaire (Kent), and Laura Butte (Josh); 12 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Graveside services are planned for Wednesday, March 29th at 10am at Washington Park East Cemetery, with no services beforehand, or reception after, We will meet in the office parking lot of Flanner and Buchanan and drive to the graveside service.

Instead of flowers or donation to a charity, we have started a Go Fund Me page for the Madonna Deputy Memorial Dance Scholarship. We have partnered with an Indianapolis dance studio modeled similar to Madonna’s Dance Studio, Dance Innovation, PAC. The school details are on the Go Fund Me page. https://gofund.me/aea2ce06.

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