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Obituary for Darlene Joyce Malone
Darlene Joyce (Foshe) Malone peacefully left her earthly home and entered Heaven’s gates on July 23, 2020. Graveside funeral service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, July 27th at the Earlham City Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to Hospice of the Midwest. Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
She was born to Herman and Rose (Moore) Foshe on September 3, 1932 in Polk City, IA. She was the third of four children born to this union. Darlene went to school in Granger and graduated in 1949 as the only girl in a class of four. After graduation she worked at her parent’s cafe in Granger, Iowa and part-time for the telephone office as a switchboard operator (Yes, the one she had to poke cords into sockets on a board. And yes, she could hear your conversation, if she wanted to). While working at her parent’s cafe, a young man sought her attention. She dated him for a while and then broke up. After receiving a letter from said fellow (who was still heartbroken), she realized she really did miss him. Her mom asked her why she was so sad, and after hearing her heartbroken reply, they loaded up the car and headed to where he was working. Shortly after this reunion, a wedding was in order. On October 21, 1950 she married Oliver Leland Malone. They were happily married for eight years before children would arrive. They welcomed Rick in 1958, Terry in 1961, and Annette in 1964.
They lived in Granger while all the kids were growing up. She provided daycare for many, many children in that community and took care of them like they were her own. She did this all while raising her own family. She later worked at Granger Manor Nursing Home for ten years. She had an incredible work ethic and could work circles around most. After retiring, Ollie and Darlene moved to Winterset for a brief time and then to Earlham where they lived for many years. They spent over 56 years together, as husband and wife, before Ollie’s passing on September 6, 2007.
Darlene loved to keep busy. She loved to crochet, needlepoint, work latch hook kits, jigsaw puzzles, and word searches. She was an avid baker and always had a treasure trove of goodies at the ready in her freezer. She enjoyed watching basketball, the game channel, and numerous religious programs on television. She loved to “get out and go”, and her mom nicknamed her “the roadrunner.” In later years it became more of a challenge, but the passion for road-running didn’t die.
Darlene was a devoted, loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren fiercely and looked forward to their visits. She had an enormous, caring heart and a genuine concern for others. Her strong faith made her an incredible prayer warrior, and she looked forward to the day she would meet Jesus.
Darlene is survived by her brother Dennis, three children; Rick (Julie) Malone, Terry (Lori) Malone, and Annette (Jeff) Howell, six grandchildren; Josh (Chris) Malone, Lindsay (Brandan) Neff, Alex Malone, Kelsey (Derek) Miller-Overton, Katie (Travis) Franck, Lanson Howell and four great-granddaughters; Ava, Mia, Ariana, and Willow, who will miss her immensely. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, parents, husband, two sisters, and grandson (A.J. Malone).
