Patricia Michele Malone

Born in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 11, 1944, Pat attended Bellaire High School, and attended college at Northlake.

She and her late husband, Darrel Malone, settled in North Texas, where they raised their only child, their cherished Anne.

Pat’s family — both blood and chosen — brought her joy and laughter, and she loved them as she lived: fiercely and uncompromisingly.

She worked in retail and sales, most recently at Home Depot in Plano, Texas, from which she retired in 2011. One of her favorite jobs was managing the gift shop at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, which she did for several years.

As anyone who met her knew all too well, she was a fierce, yellow-dog Democrat, as well as a voracious reader, a passionate animal lover and devoted follower of Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead. She was feisty, funny, ornery, loving and genuine. She possessed a larger-than-life personality with a heart and laugh to match. She loved vacationing out west, in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington with Darrel, Anne and other family. In 2008, she and Anne took the trip of a lifetime to Alaska.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Darrel Nathaniel Malone; her parents, Robert Duane and Jessie Parish Hennelly; brothers and sisters-in-law Joe Marshall, Dorothy Dunham and her husband Ronnie; Harold Malone; Shirley Calhoun and her husband Carroll; Virgil Malone and his wife Jean; and several fur babies, including beloved boxers Daisy, Phoebe, Chiquita, Maggie and Molly, and her beagle boy, Teddy (aka Dapper Dan man).

She is survived and dearly missed by her daughter, Anne Malone and her wife, Heather Svokos; sister Sharon Hennelly Baker and her husband Tom; brother, Duane Hennelly and his wife Linda; sister-in-law, Nedra Hennelly; nieces Jessica Kathleen “Katie” Baker and her wife Lita Luna; Alyshia Hennelly; nephews Robert and Tate Hennelly; and grandniece and grandnephew, Hannah and Micah Wilson; sisters-and brothers-in-law, Sharon Madden and her husband Kenneth; Pat Christopher and her husband Johnny; Elsie Marshall; Darrel's nieces and nephews, Sean Madden and his wife Katy; Kim Madden; B.J. Hahn and her husband Mark; Anna Brandl and her husband Wayne; Gary Marshall and his wife Dana; Jesse Marshall and his wife Nancy; Rhonda Watkins and her husband Ray; Barry Dunham and his wife Missy; and Tim Dunham and his wife Jennifer Kay; Sherry Wempe and her husband William; Christine Malone, Donnie Bauman and his wife Andrea; John Bauman and his wife Lauri; Mark Bauman and his partner Ada; Stacy Green Karl; Carie Green; Ronnie Malone and his wife Anne; Brent Calhoun and his wife Holly; and Brian Calhoun.

She leaves a large hole in many hearts, and we hope our memories of her can only begin to help fill it over time.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Pat at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, at Rhoton Funeral Home, 1511 South I-35E, Carrollton, Texas. Visitation will be held Thursday from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28.

Flowers can be sent to Rhoton Funeral Home, or donations in Pat’s name can be made to Legacy Boxer Rescue (424 Plainview Dr., Hurst, TX 76054; savetheboxers.com/donate.php; [email protected]), or any animal rescue.