Daisy Mallery

Daisy Mae Mallery passed into rest at Baylor University Medical Center-Dallas on Thursday, May 29, 2014 after battling lymphoma cancer for almost five years. Visitation will be 4 to 6 at Grace Gardens Funeral home on Saturday, May 31 Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1 at Berea Cemetery near Jefferson, Texas .
Daisy was born January 18, 1947 near Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania to Kenneth and Muriel Kelley. She graduated from Oil City, Pennsylvania High School and then obtained her registered nurse degree from Saint Vincent’s School of Nursing in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Upon graduation from Saint Vincent’s in 1968, she received her commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She was subsequently assigned as a Medical-Surgical Nurse to a U.S. Army evacuation hospital located at Qui Nhon, Bien Dien Province, Republic of Vietnam. The hospital’s mission was to stabilize war-injured Americans prior to transporting them to Japan or the U.S. for more extensive treatment. Hospital staff also provided medical care to outlying Vietnamese towns and hamlets.
Upon returning to the U.S., she was assigned to the Burn Unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The majority of patients had received very serious burn injuries during combat in Vietnam and the specialized care provided by the Burn Unit saved many lives that would have otherwise been lost. It was at the Burn Unit that Daisy met her future husband, Steve Mallery, who was an Occupational Therapy Technician at the Unit. They married at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas on May 11, 1970.
Daisy left the service in 1970 after attaining the rank of first lieutenant. She was recipient of the National Defense Service, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign medals. Her lymphoma was presumptively a result of Agent Orange exposure while assigned to Vietnam.
Her subsequent career in the civilian sector included medical-surgical, home health and long-term care nursing. The last twenty years as an RN were in long-term care where she enjoyed ministering to the needs of the elderly. She was known as a thorough, conscientious and caring nurse who focused on the needs of her patients. She retired from nursing in 2009.
Her Christian faith was formed in the Methodist and Seventh-day Adventist churches and she believed that all aspects of her life should be of service to her Savior and humanity. She enjoyed caring for her family, handicrafts, Sudoku puzzles, reading, providing gifts to friends and family members and watching NCIS. Daisy also enjoyed travel, especially a recent trip to Ireland where she could explore the cultural roots of her birth family. She was a woman of simple tastes and desires who found greatest satisfaction in helping others and took special delight in ministering to the needs of her family members.
Daisy is survived by her husband Steve Mallery of Hewitt Texas; daughter Stephanie Powell, son-in-law Danny and granddaughter Miranda Powell, all of Waco, Texas; and son Matthew Mallery of San Antonio, Texas. She is also survived by sister Kate Moyer of Franklin, Pennsylvania; brother Tom Kelley and wife Alma of Karns City, Pennsylvania; sister Donna Kelley of Franklin, Pennsylvania; brother Buck Kelley and wife Grace of Oil City, Pennsylvania; brother Gary Kelley and wife Louise of Brooklyn, New York; and sister Elvira Cline and husband Dave of Zanesville, Ohio. Additionally, she is survived by numerous nephews and nieces.
Preceding her in death are daughter Susan Mallery, father and mother Kenneth and Muriel Kelley, sister Nancy Pierce, sister-in-law Maxine Kelley and brothers-in-law Wayne Pierce and Jim Moyer.
Although her family members are deeply grieved by her passing they are confident that they will meet with her again in the resurrection morning.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that a donation be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.