William J. "Bill" Malone

William J. "Bill" Malone, 77, of Hot Springs received his royal promotion into the presence of the Heavenly Father on April 2, 2019. Bill was born on November 8, 1941, in Morrilton, Arkansas, to Dalton C. Malone and Alidene Bennett Malone, and was raised in nearby Plumerville. In the seventh grade, he met and fell in love with Sandra Bowling. They were wed while both in college and spent nearly six decades by each other's side. Bill attended College of the Ozarks in the fall of 1960 on a basketball scholarship before moving to Arkansas State University at Beebe to play basketball there. Within a year, Bill was accepted to an apprentice program at the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., while he attended George Washington University. Bill and Sandra moved home to Arkansas, where he obtained a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas. Upon graduation, he began work for Smith Engineering in Fort Smith, and later transferred to Hot Springs. He founded Malone and Associates in 1974 where Bill worked until his death. During his 543-year career, he played a vital role in designing and constructing hundreds of miles of water systems across rural Arkansas. Bill was an elder at Grace Bible Church of Hot Springs, a youth leader of Hot Springs Bible Study Fellowship, and a founding member of the Hot Springs Annual Prayer Breakfast. He participated in Senior Olympics playing basketball, and he enjoyed restoring his 1929 Model "A" Ford. He and Sandra hosted their family every Tuesday night for dinner for the last 12 years. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sandra Bowling Malone, daughters; Caroline Craven (Mike) of Texarkana, Arkansas; Kathleen Pitcock (Len) of Hot Springs; and his son, William Patrick Malone (Ellie) also of Hot Springs, a sister, Dixie Drilling (Denis) of Morrilton, and one brother, Charles (Ellen), of Plumerville; five grandchildren, Rogers Pitcock, Julia Malone, Sanlin Malone, and Caroline Malone, Cara Appleby (Ben) of Dallas, Texas, and three great grandchildren, Ryan, Piper, and Rhett Appleby. Victor Palafox (Lory) of Hot Springs is also considered a son and brother by Bill and his family. Visitation will be 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Friday, April 5th at Caruth-Hale Funeral Home in Hot Springs, with a funeral service Saturday, April 6th at 10 a.m., also Caruth-Hale Funeral home. A family graveside burial service is scheduled l for 3 pm at Plumerville Cemetery in Plumerville, Arkansas. The family requests memorials to Grace Bible Church of Hot Springs, Arkansas at gbchs.com, or to Basic Training Bible Ministries at P.O. Box 21773, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71903. Guests may register at www.caruth-hale.com.