Kathleen Malone

Kathleen "Kassie" Simmons Malone, age 86, of Gulfport, MS went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 20, 2017. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Howard J. Malone; much-loved sister, Dona S. Brock; and her parents Donald Jackson Simmons and Eunice Kell Simmons.
Mrs. Malone was born in Jackson, MS and spent her childhood in Pascagoula, MS. She graduated from Pascagoula High School where she was the Valedictorian. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, where she was also a member of The Phi Beta Kappa Society. She earned her Master's Degree from Louisiana State University. A master of languages, she taught English, Spanish and French at the Jackson County Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College for over 30 years.
She is survived by her son, Donald J. Ellis and wife, Janina of Stuttgart, Germany; and her daughter, Paige Eaton and husband, James C. Eaton of Alba, TX; one sister, Mrs. Eunice Simmons Cook and husband Joseph H. Cook of Augusta, GA; and 2 nieces and 3 nephews and their children.
Kassie loved the Lord and her church family and most delighted in reading and constructing lessons for the Ruth Class at Grace Memorial Baptist Church. She was also a devoted choir member and enjoyed singing hymns with her friends about their shared love of Christ, until illness prevented. She was a strong and able caretaker of Howard through his lengthy disability from stroke, and she was a cancer survivor. The very definition of a steel magnolia, she was unflinching in duty to family above self, unbending in her devotion to her Christian values, and unwavering in her love of Mississippi, the unmatched Gulf Coast, and her beloved Pascagoula.
A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport. Visitation for family and friends is set for one hour prior to the service. She will be laid to rest at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum in Gulfport.
The family wishes to thank Kassie's many caregivers at Trinity Mission in Winnsboro, TX, and especially her personal sitters, for their abundant kindnesses and their compassionate and loving care during her extended illness.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be gifted to the General Fund at Grace Memorial Baptist Church, 2412 23rd Avenue, Gulfport, MS, 39501 or to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or alz.org.