Gerda Irene Erwin Malone, 84, of Fitzgerald, Georgia passed away peacefully with the love of her family by her side on July 6, 2023. Born June 18, 1939 in Berlin, Germany, she was the oldest daughter to the late Paul and Ottilie Pawlowski Erwin.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years Lawrence R “Dickie” Malone; daughters Becky Baldwin, Debbie (Scott) Oring, Moni (Ralph) Kinney; sister Margot (Charles) Stallcup; grandchildren Justin (Brandy) Baldwin, Jessie (Ray) Sipp, Nikki (Adam) Cobb; great-grandchildren Cian, Carlin and Cash Baldwin, Emma and Wyatt Sipp, Levi and Rylee Cobb; and many nieces and nephews.
In her earlier years, she worked as a phone operator at the post office in Berlin. On July 4, 1962, she arrived in the states by ship “The Bremem.” She met Dickie while he was in the army, stationed in Berlin. They married on July 16, 1962. He was the love of her life, and she always asked him, “Have I told you lately that I love you?” His answer was always “I love you too.” A mother of three daughters, she was and always will be cherished by them. Gerda gained her US citizenship in 1982. Everyone that met her, loved her. She was a beautiful person inside and out. Her German accent was loved by everyone that spoke to her. She had the most fun loving and kind soul. She had a passion for all animals. As a teenager she loved to spend her summers on a working farm helping with the animals, milking cows, riding horse back and gardening. As an adult, one of her greatest joys was having cats. There was never a time that she didn’t own one or two, she loved to talk to you about them, and would do so for hours.
Besides her parents she is preceded in death by Lawrence and Anna Malone and John and Joyce Ann Dixon.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 14 at Morrison Funeral Chapel, Glouster-Bishopville. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Interment will be in the Maplewood Cemetery, Glouster. A message of comfort may be sent to the family at www.morrisonfc.com.
