Malone loved her job and her co-workers at South Fork Hardware. She worked hard to earn money and bought herself a car before she turned 16. She was a sophomore and loved all of her friends at South Summit High School. Malone was a member of FBLA, the debate team, Academic Decathlon, band, Interact Club, the South Summit swim team, and Girl Scouts. She also volunteered as a peer tutor, helping one of the fourth grade classes at the elementary school and as a mentor/leader with the local Brownie troop. In every instance, Malone touched lives and inspired others. She had a whimsical sense of humor and an infectious laugh. She was a truly caring person, and whenever she saw someone having a bad day she would do her best to make them feel better. She raised money to go on a trip to Mexico to help build homes for the less fortunate.
Malone’s plans were to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) and study astrophysics. She loved conversations with her grandfather about how life began, the stars, the moon, and the heavens. Now she understands it all.
On April 23, 2012, Malone was on her way home from work and was in a single car rollover crash. Due to head trauma, her injuries were not survivable. Malone was taken off life support on April 24. Even in death she continued to give, as she chose to donate her organs to others.
Malone made the most out of life and did more in 16 years than most do in a lifetime. We are so blessed to have had her in our lives. Malone leaves behind her twin sister, Mason, her parents, her grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and many, many friends who love and miss her very much.
We do not know why the accident occurred, but we do believe that if she had been wearing her seat belt she would have walked away with minor injuries.
The most important thing that we would like for people to learn from Malone’s death is to always wear your seat belt. Even if Malone had been able to survive with her brain injury, she would have had a very low quality of life, which, to her, would have been a fate worse than death.
