George Michael Malone, “Mike”, was born on August 21st, 1940, in the beginning of World War II, in Oklahoma City, OK, the son of Bobby Francis and Romadell (Hannah) Malone. He graduated from Tahlequah High School, where he loved playing high school football for the Tigers before enrolling at Northeastern State University. He was a lifelong salesman, a radio broadcaster, and owned and published several newspapers over the years including The Weekly Leader in Tahlequah. While serving in the Air Force reserves and teaching at the Arthur Murray School of Dance on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he met and married his first and only wife, Frances Robinson. Together, they raised a family of two sons and one daughter, Eloise, Hugh, and Allen. He was always heavily involved in all of their activities, from emceeing talent shows and homecoming festivities to dressing up in full costume to create haunted houses at Halloween. Additionally, he was a great coach and motivator, from little league baseball to junior high football and church league baseball, he not only knew the “X’s and O’s” of the sports he taught, but he also treated his players with kindness, strength, and support that made his players glad to be a part of his teams. He loved music of all kinds, especially classic country and easy listening like Nat King Cole, Jim Reeves, and Brook Benton. He was a regular at the Downtown Country theater and loved watching Carrie Underwood and her fellow NSU students perform there. In 2005, he and Frances would often drive to Tulsa to join Allen in following Carrie’s quest to become the next American Idol. His claim to fame was that Ms. Underwood had once “washed [his] cocker spaniel’ (when she was working for a vet in town). Although he was often at the center of the storm, Mike was known for being cool in a crisis. He frequently reminded his children to “not sweat the small stuff.” A christian by faith, he attended several local Baptist churches, where he served as a deacon and loved to lead the singing. He adored his grandchildren and carried on his father’s tradition as “the Balloon Man,” often pulling them from the little ones’ ears or pockets to their wonder and amazement. He loved making them giggle and their smiles were his reward. Of course, anybody who knew Mike, was aware of his love affair with food. Even near the very end of his life, he could barely walk with the help of his walker, he could still muster the energy to polish off half of a pepperoni and jalapeno pizza and a hot fudge milkshake. His appetite never betrayed him. Mike died on November 30th, 2021 In Tahlequah, OK, at Sequoyah Pointe Retirement Home of congestive heart failure after a brief stay in the hospital He was 81 years old.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Lena Hepler, his mother and father, and his son Hugh on October 25th, 2021.
He is survived by his wife, Frances Malone of Senatobia, MS, and his children, Eloise Faust and husband Norris Jr of Oxford, MS and his son, Allen Malone and wife, Jerry Elizabeth Griffith all of Fayetteville, AR. He leaves a half brother, Pat Malone. He lives on in his grandchildren, Jennifer Eddins and husband Bill of Sarah, MS, Erica Stevenson and husband Larry of Jackson, TN, Reece Malone, Heath Malone, both of Memphis, TN, Stella Malone, Poppy Malone and Zola Malone all of Fayetteville, AR, and his three great grandchildren,
Rob Eddins of Sarah, MS, Luke Stevenson of Jackson, TN and Christopher Malone of Duncan, OK, as well as many friends and a host of loved ones too numerous to mention.
Memorial services for George Michael Malone, or Mike to his family and friends, will be held on Saturday, December 4th, 2021 at 2:00PM at Reed-Culver Chapel with his son Allen leading the tribute. Online condolences for his family may be left at www.reedculver.com.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.0