Mae Alice Malone

Upon graduating McKinley High School, Mae and her friends spent a summer riveting B-24 stabilizers during World War II. Mae went on to work as a clinical and visiting nurse after earning her RN at the prestigious Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Class of 1946, in Cleveland, OH.

In 1948, Mae met Robert E. Malone, Naval aviator and medical student at CWRU, who became her beloved husband and best friend for 55 years of marriage. They went West to California settling in the citrus town of Santa Paula, CA where they raised their six children.

Mae was active at St. Sebastian’s, Sacred Heart, San Buenaventura Mission, and St. John’s Catholic churches as Deanery President, Altar Society, religious education instructor, and as an organist. Mae was a 4-H leader for the Mupu 4-H Club, served as President of the Ventura County Republican Women during the 1960’s, and served as Dean of the Redwood Empire American Guild of Organists 1993 – 1997.

For relaxation, Mae trained her German Shepherd achieving an AKC Utility Dog title and swam a mile in the pool several days a week until the age of 88 years.

Mae studied music under James Welch, DMA, becoming an accomplished organist. She had a custom pipe organ built for her home, hosting musical soirees in Santa Paula and in Healdsburg, CA, where she and Bob retired in 1989.

Mae loved to garden, growing roses, avocado, oranges, and an abundance of zucchini. Mae loved hosting an annual “Zucchini Dinner” for her many friends and won a blue ribbon at the Healdsburg Zucchini Festival for her zucchini bread.

Mae was an optimist. She survived polio and cancer and lived through the Great Depression and WWII. Her husband, her family, and her faith inspired her happy outlook throughout her long life.

Mae was preceded in death by her parents and siblings, her daughter Peggy and son-in-law Mike Strader (1979), and husband Dr. Robert E. Malone, MD (2003). She is survived by sons Mike (Madeline) Malone, Pat (Becky) Malone, daughters Aran (Matt) Felix, Katie (William) Wulftange, and Mary (Scott) Werschky, eleven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Mae will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Santa Paula, CA on January 17th, 2023 at 1:00 PM with burial to follow at Santa Paula Cemetery at 2:00 PM.