Kern County CA Archives Obituaries.....Malovich, Mary Ellen January 28, 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com January 31, 2006, 10:41 pm The Bakersfield Californian Malovich, Mary Mary Malovich 1911 - 2006 Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Francis Church, 901 H Street, Thursday, February 2, at 10:00 a.m., for Mary Malovich. Interment will follow at Union Cemetery, King and Potomac Streets. Mary Ellen Malovich was born May 27, 1911, in Fresno, to John and Ellen Kovacevich. Along with her siblings, John Kovacevich, Madeline (Dede) Trino and Corinne Cattani, all of whom predeceased her. Mary grew up in Fresno. She graduated from Fresno High School in 1929 and attended business college there to study bookkeeping. Mary was a first generation American as her parents were immigrants from Croatia, formerly part of Yugoslavia. During her childhood, she and her family were part of a large Yugoslav-American farming community in the Fresno area. They remained involved with the Croatian-Yugoslav communities of Delano, Bakersfield and Los Angeles throughout their lives. In 1933, the Kovacevich family moved to Arvin where Marys father and brother started raising and shipping table grapes. For many years, Mary worked in the family farm office, where she met Charles Malovich, whom she married in 1946. Mary and Charlie were married until his death in 1996. They developed their own farming and shipping enterprise in Arvin, with Mary working in the office for over 50 years. They both loved fishing and took many trips together to fish in Baja, California. During more than 70 years of living in Arvin. Mary was an active and visible contributor to the Arvin community. St. Thomas Catholic Church, Entre Nous Sorority and the Arvin Womens Club were organizations that benefited from her enthusiastic support. In 2002 she was honored by the Arvin Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year. Family was always the center of Marys life. Her best friends were her sisters, Dede and Corinne, along with her brother, John, and first cousin, Marty Bozina. Although Mary and Charlie had no children, they were very close to all of their nieces and nephews and their spouses and children, who visited and cared for their Teta Mary all of her life. Mary loved to travel and went to nearly every country in the world during her 94 years, often with family members. One of Marys most endearing qualities was her zest for life! Whether rescuing the abandoned cats of Arvin, or attending parties and dancing every dance, Mary was always there, relishing every moment. She was devoted to visiting sick friends and sending special cards and letters, and rarely missed the funeral of a friend or relative. Teta Mary lived a long and very healthy life, never spending a night in the hospital. In recent years, her failing health limited her activities, yet she was fiercely determined to remain in her home. Through the loving care of Arlene Scharff, Teresa Redela, Sherry Hines, Delia Perales and many others, she succeeded. She passed away peacefully in her own home on January 28, 2006. Special thanks go to Dr. Susan Helper and the nurses of Optimal Hospice. Pallbearers will be her nephews: Jim Trino, John Trino, Arnold Cattani, John Kovacevich, Mike Kovacevich and Bob Bozina. Honorary Pallbearers will be her nieces, Maryellen Cattani Herringer, Jayne Ellen Kovacevich, Mary Anne Kovacevich Bek and special friend, Connie Lozano. Donations in Marys memory may be made to Catholic Charities, Optimal Hospice or the SPCA. Greenlawn Mortuary Funeral Directors Legacy.com Published in the Bakersfield Californian on 1/31/2006. Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased No other information available from submitter. Obituaries http://www.legacy.com/bakersfield/LegacyHome.asp File at: http://files.usgwarchives.org/ca/kern/obits/m/malovich1914gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb