Malinda Hamilton McCafferty

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, Malinda was the third of seven children born to the late Dr. and Mrs. (Phina Curcio) Nelson Hamilton. She was also a miracle. Diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at the age of 11, she was patient number 1259 at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, surviving something few did in those times.

Malinda grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, and attended Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School and St. Joseph High School. She graduated from Greenville High School in 1976. Malinda attended Millsaps College where she was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity. She earned a bachelor of science (1980) and then attended Delta State University where she earned a Master’s in Elementary Education in 1981. Malinda then taught at St. Mary Elementary School in Jackson before marrying her husband, James (Jim) T. McCafferty III, on January 1, 1983. The couple moved to Oxford, Mississippi, upon return from their honeymoon. While living in Oxford, Malinda taught at South Panola Elementary in Batesville, Mississippi, and Oxford-University School in Oxford, Mississippi. She also served as a graduate assistant in the University of Mississippi school of education where she taught remedial courses to athletes who needed that assistance. Malinda also served as President of the Oxford Chapter of the Chi Omega Alumni Association in 1989, worked with the youth group at Oxford-University United Methodist Church, and taught Chinese cooking classes.

Malinda and Jim moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in September 1989, along with their two year old daughter and a son on the way. While in Jackson Malinda devoted her time to taking care of her growing family and volunteering in a variety of capacities. She was active at Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church, where, among other things, she directed vacation Bible school; she was a member of the Junior League of Jackson; and she was much involved in her children’s schools, often serving as an officer, event organizer, or in other capacities for PTA organizations at Casey Elementary School, Chastain Middle School, Murrah High School, and at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, Mississippi.

In 1999 she became a communicant of St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson and, later, St. Peter Cathedral, in Jackson. She and Jim also were enrolled members of St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Mission in New Orleans.

Malinda and Jim moved to McComb, Mississippi, in August 2014.

Malinda was devoted to her Christian Faith, her family, and her friends. She especially loved children. Malinda loved to cook and garden and to read and learn about those subjects. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved Chinese food, softshell crabs, pineapple milkshakes, and slaw on her hamburgers.

She is survived by her husband of almost 40 years, James T. McCafferty; Daughter, Elizabeth Leigh McCafferty, of Pacific Palisades, California; Son, Daniel Jackson McCafferty and his wife, Sarah Lozano McCafferty, and their sons, James and Eric, all of San Antonio, Texas,; Daughters Sarah Ruff McCafferty and Martha Hamilton McCafferty, both of San Antonio, Texas; daughter Miriam Margot McCafferty of Brooklyn, New York; and six siblings and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.

St. Jude, pray for us.

Jude 24-25.