Norma M. (Mayer) Malaby

Norma Marie (Mayer) Malaby passed quietly at the Defiance in-patient Hospice on June 24th, 2018 with family at her side.
Norma recently moved to Defiance to be near family rekindle old friendships and make many new friends. She spent her adult years in Kokomo and Rochester, Indiana.
She was born May 1, 1922 in Defiance to Albert and Clara (Busch) Mayer.
Following graduation from Defiance High School in 1940 she attended and graduated from International Business School in Ft. Wayne in 1942. On September 8, 1946 Norma married Wahrer (Mal) Malaby. After 66 years of marriage, Mal preceded her in death April 17,2012.
Norma’s employment included Ft. Wayne State School, Delco Radio and Kokomo School Corp. She and Mal were co-owners of Mal’s Out-O-door Store in Kokomo until their retirement in 1981. At that time, they moved to Lake Manitou in Rochester, Indiana. They loved spending winters in Stuart, Florida.
She is a past member of Altrusa Club and PEO Study club of Kokomo. For more than sixty years Norma was a member of The Order of Eastern Star. 
Her church memberships were with Grace Methodist Church in Kokomo and Grace Methodist in Rochester.  When she returned to Defiance she also returned to her home church, St. John United Church of Christ.
Norma was an accomplished artist working in ceramic, porcelain, oils, watercolor, acrylic and was not afraid to experiment in other media. Her works are enjoyed in the homes of many of her family members. Mal would often carve birds and ducks which she would then paint in fine detail. She was also an avid gardener and reader.
Norma and Mal enjoyed many friends wherever they lived or visited. Norma had an active social life. She loved playing cards, especially Bridge, and after she became homebound her friends brought the games to her home up until the weeks before her death.
Norma loved her family above all. She leaves a son, Thomas of Napoleon, grandchildren, Malinda Malaby and Joshua Malaby of Kokomo and great-grandchildren, Mason, Savannah Joshua and Isiah. She was loved by her many nieces and nephews who she would often have for visits and take on trips. She is also survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Lowell and Pat Mayer and a sister Evelyn Manahan all of Defiance. 
Besides Mal, she was preceded in death by her son, David; mother and father Albert and Clara Mayer and her brother Elden.
A Memorial Service will be held at St. John United Church of Christ at 1:00pm on August 5, 2018. Interment will be at private at a later date.
Schaffer Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. 

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