Esther Mae Dilbeck Hamilton Malone, left this life and went to Heaven on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at the age of 96 years and 3 months. She was born September 11, 1919 in Royalton, Illinois, the daughter of George Melvin Dilbeck and Beulah Elizabeth Minton Dilbeck. She moved to Arkansas with her mother, sister, Nancy Marguerite (Dill) and brother, Charles Kenneth in 1926 to live with her grandparents, Tom and Nan Minton in Bear Hollow. She attended school in Jenny Lind through the sixth grade and then began housekeeping to help support the family. Esther Mae married Luther Hamilton in 1937 and lived on Mt. Zion Road between Hackett and Greenwood. She was widowed with three children in 1953 at the age of 33 and took a job as a cafeteria worker at Greenwood Schools. In 1963 she married Garvis Marvin Malone of Rock Island, Oklahoma. She was widowed again in 2003.
After leaving the Greenwood cafeteria, Esther Mae worked at Okla Homer Smith Furniture in Fort Smith for 40 years, assisting in the manufacturing of baby furniture. In 1979 she began working for Burgess, Brownfield and Hamilton Dental Clinic as the custodian and worked there until her retirement.
Esther Mae lived in the same house for 67 years and was a faithful member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church for over 65 years where she served as secretary and treasurer in the 1960’s.
Her favorite past time in her younger years was quilting, flowers and reading. Though arthritis did not allow her to quilt in later years, she still planted flowers every spring. A melanoma causing her left eye to be surgically removed in 2007 could not keep her from reading. She never missed a day reading the newspaper and her Bible.
She was loved and respected by all who knew her because of her sweet, gentle spirit. She greeted everyone with a smile and friendly disposition. Affectionately known as “Gram Mae” by her grandchildren and great grandchildren, she was the subject of the 1997 book, When Gram Mae Was A Little Girl, which told stories of her childhood in Bear Hollow.
She is survived by her three children, Jerry Allen Hamilton and wife, Harlean of Chimacum, WA, Martha Sue Funkhouser and husband, Richard of O’Brian, FL and Kenneth David Hamilton and wife, Ann of Greenwood, AR; eight grandchildren, Laura Hamilton of Redmond, WA, Tracy Oril and husband, Tom of Port Townsend, WA, Sean Wallace of New York City, NY, Paul Baker of San Antonio, TX, Audrey Hamilton of Greenwood, AR, Kasey Hamilton of Fort Smith, AR, Jessica Coleman and husband, Rob of Rogers, AR and Andrew Funkhouser of O’Brian, FL and twelve great grandchildren.
Memorial service will be 11 a.m., Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at Mount Zion Baptist Church under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood. Viewing will be Tuesday, December 29, 2015 from 1 – 8 p.m. at the funeral home, where the family will visit with friends from 6 – 8 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to Gideons International, Arkansas Children’s Hospital or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
To sign an online guestbook, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com
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