LaVaun Meta Malina
LaVaun Meta Malina of Austin, formerly of Kingsville, died of complications from dementia, March 29, 2022.
Services for Mrs. Malina will be held Monday, April 4, 2022, at 11 a.m. at the Kathryn W. Green Chapel of Green-Patterson Funeral Home in Cameron, with Rev. Bill Boelter officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
She was born in Cameron on May 10, 1924, to Willie L. and Lydia Glaser. She was raised in a loving family and passed those traits on to her own family. She finished high school in Cameron and moved to south Texas to work as an operator for Southwestern Bell. One summer she took a vacation with her girlfriends to San Francisco, Calif., where she ran into a friend of the family, Earl Malina. Earl was stationed on a Naval ship, which had just docked in San Francisco. When they met in the street that serendipitous day, she knew he was the man for her, and he knew he couldn’t live without her! Earl swept her off her feet and they soon married. So began a wonderful life in the Navy.
They had many tours of duty along the coastlines of Corpus Christi, Norfolk, Rhode Island, Coronado, Oahu and Midway Island. It was a dream come true, to be able to travel and raise a family along with their many adventures. Jeanette was born a few years after their marriage and Kaye followed 6 years later. No matter where they lived, their priorities were God, family, their church and the local Navy community.
LaVaun readily adapted to Navy life and loved sharing it with her two girls and loving husband. She was also quite busy with the officer wives club activities and she and Earl loved bowling together. Wherever they lived, weekends were a special family time together. Sunday mornings, she made sure the family was dressed and ready for Sunday School and worship. She was active in the church, teaching Sunday School and participating in women’s Bible Studies.
As a faithful prayer warrior for family and friends, many nights she would stay up until three in the morning, lifting them and their concerns to the Lord in prayer. She was a gracious hostess, providing delicious salads, casseroles and desserts for many church gatherings. Everyone loved eating her delicious creations, especially her pecan pie and banana pudding – Earl’s favorites!
She loved her family and would get so excited when they came for a visit. She was thrilled to hold each one of her grandchildren and great-grand’s in her arms. She held a special place in her heart for each one of them, as well as her own two daughters and their husbands. But no one caused her eyes to light up as much as when she gazed at Earl, the love of her life. They truly were a match made in heaven and now they are complete, dancing in the presence of Jesus.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie L. and Lydia Glaser; her sister, Irene Johnson; her husband, LCDR W.E. Malina.
She is survived by her children, Jeanette Raye Boelter (Pastor Bill) of Moorhead, Minn., and Sondra Kaye Geist (Ted) of Austin; grandchildren - Kasi Adler, Jeremy Boelter (Trudy), and Jenica Boelter; and great-grandchildren, Noah Adler, Xander Boelter, Amber Adler, Autumn Boelter, Ava Boelter, and Liam Boelter.
Arrangements are under the direction of Green-Patterson Funeral Home in Cameron. Condolences for the family may be left at www.green-pattersonfuneralhome.com.