Nicholas Malinics

Nicholas Malinics, a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather, passed away on Sunday, January 17, 2016, from cardiac arrest. He was 93 years of age.

Nick – to most of his friends – was born December 19, 1922, in DuPont, Pennsylvania, to George and Mary Malinics who had immigrated to the United States as young children. His father worked in the coal mines around DuPont. After graduating from high school, Nick enlisted in the Army Air Corps which preceded the Air Force. He served for six years including one and a half years in the Pacific during WWII.

Prior to going overseas, Nick was stationed at Shepherd Air Field in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was while he was there that he met, fell in love with, and married Johnnie Juanita Rogers. They enjoyed sixty-four years of marriage before her death in 2007.

After exiting the service, he had the opportunity to move his young family in 1949 to Billings, Montana, to take a job with Conoco working in a new oil refinery. He worked his way from the loading docks to becoming safety director for the refinery. After 30 years of living in beautiful Montana, he accepted a job transfer to Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1978. He retired from Conoco five years later having completed 34 years with the company.

Nick enjoyed repairing things – cars and home repairs were his favorites, but he could fix anything. He was a skilled wood worker with a range of building children’s toys to his own grandfather clock.

Perhaps his favorite pastime was traveling. He and Juanita bought a travel trailer and new pickup after his retirement. They traveled over a good portion of the United States but often wound up in Yellowstone National Park that had become their favorite vacation spot during their Montana years.

Nick married Betty McHenry in 2008. They had met at the church where both attended For the past seven and one half years, they gave each other love and support that all began with a lunch date after church.

Nick was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, and his first wife Juanita. He is survived by his wife Betty, daughter Johnnie Crippen, daughter Mary Loudermilk and her husband Gary, three grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and by three sisters and one brother. He is also survived by Betty’s daughter Tammy Wells and husband Scott, and son Dennis Yancey, each of whom adopted Nick like their own.

Nick was a man who loved his family and found strength and peace in his daily walk with Jesus Christ and the opportunity to serve through Sale Street Baptist Church. He now rests in the arms of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A celebration of his life will be held at Sale Street Baptist Church at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 23, 2016, with an informal visitation with the family beginning at 10:00 AM. Burial will be at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to Sale Street Baptist Church for their building fund.