Paul Anthony Malley, Jr.

Shawnee - Paul Anthony Malley, Jr, 82, of Shawnee, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, September 12, 2021 in Shawnee.

He was born December 2, 1938 to Ann and Paul Malley, Sr., in Hartford, CT.

Paul grew up in West Hartford, CT, and graduated from Wilbraham Monson Academy in Massachusetts in 1957. He was an avid sports fan and played football, basketball, and baseball throughout his school years. After school, he joined the Connecticut Air National Guard and played basketball for the base team. That love for sports and his gregarious personality eventually landed him a job selling skis at G. Fox and Company department store. That’s also where he fell in love with Linda Anderson the moment he saw her in the G. Fox lunchroom. They were married on March 2, 1968.

Paul used his vast resources of charm to make a career selling everything from lingerie to golf wear. Along the way, he and Linda had life adventures that took them up and down the East coast until they settled in Oklahoma in 1970. In 1980, they moved to Shawnee where Paul fell in love with the local community, his church, St. Benedict, and eventually decided that there is no sporting team — in any sport — greater than the OU Sooners.

Paul’s family was his pride and joy and there seemed to be no end of his love for Linda and their children. Despite that, he sometimes drove them nuts by telling the same jokes over and over, and though he wasn’t much of a cook, that didn’t stop him from sharing recipes. Among them were his famous sweet pickles, which consisted of two ingredients: a gallon jar of dill pickles and a pound of sugar: “Just pour the sugar right into the pickle jar,” he’d say. When asked how the pickles tasted, he’d reply, “I don’t know. I’ve never made them.” And then he’d laugh until tears were streaming down his face. That’s how those who knew him best will remember him—with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

Paul is survived by his wife, Linda Malley, of the home; his son David and daughter-in-law Angharad Davies of New Haven, CT; his daughter, Amy, and son-in-law Michael Schmitt of West Hartford, CT; and two grandchildren, Iris Eleri Malley and William Raymond Schmitt. He is also survived by his sister Patricia M. Pye (and William L. Pye, Jr.) of Charlotte, NC; brother Dr. James C. Malley (and Elizabeth L. Malley) of Farmington, CT; sister-in-law Barbara Anderson of Rome, NY; and several beloved nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff of Heartland Hospice, Visiting Angels, and especially Virginia Brice, for their loving care the past couple of years.

Service will be 10 a.m., Friday, September 17, 2021 at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Shawnee with the Rev. Joseph P. Schwarz officiating.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Parkinson Foundation of Oklahoma: parkinsonoklahoma.com/donate/