Michael Edward Malone

Michael Edward Malone, age 74, passed away on April 10, 2026, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was surrounded by his loving wife, Judy, and close friends at the time of his peaceful passing.

He is survived by Judy, his wife of 34 years, his son, Sean (Andrea) and two grandsons, Owen and Xavier.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Hillard and Muryl Malone, and his sister Denise.

Mike was born on July 22, 1951, in Huntington Park, California. His grade school years were spent in Pensacola, Florida and Bell, California. He graduated in 1969 from Lakewood Highschool where he played drums with the Drum and Bugle Corps called The Diplomats. He also gave drum lessons to young children, often commenting “Do you know the attention span of a six-year-old holding a pair of drumsticks?”

After high school Mike joined the US Air Force. When he was honorably discharged, he started his career in the finance business. He worked in various positions at several credit unions located in Whittier, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Chula Vista before coming to Merced in 1998. Mike was the CEO of MERCO for 20 years and retired in 2018. Mike was dedicated to his MERCO staff and did whatever he could to mentor and support their career paths. He was also very proud of his involvement with the MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic, the Boosters Club and the Downtown MERCO Community Christmas Tree.

Mike enjoyed golfing, photography and collecting watches. He also had a passion for motorcycles, owning and riding several, including Harley Davidsons, BMW’s, sidecar rigs and a 3-wheeled Grinnall Scorpion. He often would comment that after 38 years of riding he “never went down!” He also enjoyed antique cars, once owning a 1939 Buick with right hand drive. Mike also enjoyed an occasional cigar with friends at the Cigar Monkey.

Mike enjoyed a good pun and was always ready with a one-liner. One of his favorite sayings was, “See you around when you bend over.” Mike will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation given to Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. with fellowship to follow at Stratford Evans Funeral Home, 1490 B Street, Merced, California.