Mark J. Malone of Granite City, Illinois passed away on Friday, December 17, 2021, with his beloved wife and daughter by his side. Mark had been living with Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Myeloma for many years.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 25, 1942, to John A. Malone and Jeanne (Hammill) Malone. He grew up with his loving sister, Kathleen Malone, and a large extended family. He graduated from La Salle College High School in 1960. A brilliant man and lover of knowledge, he went on to build an impressive educational career, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree at La Salle College in 1964 and a Master of Science in Statistics at Iowa State University in 1967. Mark went to work for Scott Air Force Base immediately after graduate school and then in 1970, he was employed as an Operations Research Analyst at Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) where the focus of his work was on the Black Hawk helicopter and other Army aircraft. His retirement came after working for Boeing in 2011.
Mark embraced life and had a passion for many activities and hobbies. From youth to adulthood, he loved spending summers with his family “down the shore” in Ocean City, NJ. He was fascinated with trains and always took delight in adding to his model train collection (eventually passing that love onto his grandchildren). Mark was a dedicated member of the St. Louis Genealogy Society and received recognition for his extensive research and presentations for the Irish Special Interest Group. He also thoroughly enjoyed watching baseball and basketball games, musicals at the Fox Theater, ice cream, classical piano music performed by his daughter, visiting museums, traveling with his wife, and capturing moments with his grandchildren. Devout in his Catholic faith, he was a longtime member of the congregation of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Granite City, IL.
His proudest achievement was his devoted and loving family. He leaves behind and is mourned deeply by his wife of 48 years, Carole (Cuchna) Malone; his daughter, Andrea (Malone) Yurcisin and her husband Dr. Basil M. Yurcisin. He is survived, as well, by three beautiful grandchildren whom he absolutely adored. They are Adelaide, Harrison, and Lennon Yurcisin. He is also survived by his sister, Kathleen Malone of Philadelphia, PA.
He will always be remembered for his gentle soul, his warm smile, his dedication to his career, and his absolute love for his family.
There will be a memorial service on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, at St. Elizabeth Church in Granite City. Visitation will be at 9:00 am with a mass to follow at 10:00 am. The family invites you to a funeral luncheon following at 12:00 pm at Bella Milano in Edwardsville, IL. The family kindly asks that anyone in attendance at any event please wear a mask.
Although cards are welcome, in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a cause in Mark’s name, that will contribute to the cure for Parkinson’s Disease. The website for donations is here: https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate.
