Malinda was born in Vidor, Texas on May 1, 1960 to Marylin Jeanne Kelly and Andy B. Covey, Jr. Her family moved to California when she was 1 and 1/2 and to Arkansas in 1972. Later she moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming with her oldest daughter Kelly in 2005. Malinda always tried to make other people laugh even at an early age. When she first learned to crawl, she crawled backwards. She loved to have fun, sing, and dance. She would watch musicals like "Fidians Raindbow" and "Rocky Horror Picture Show" over and over again while her and her girls would dance around the living room. As a girl her wall was covered in Donny Osmond and as an adult her wall was covered in the Beatles. At her sixth grade graduation her class sang a song and Malinda could be heard about eveyone else. She loved all things Disney. Her and her sisters used to climb avacado trees and take the avacados door to door trying to earn enough money to go to Disney Land. Family was always very important to Malinda. No matter what she would always do what she could for family and her door was always the first one open if you needed a place to stay. But...the most important part of Malinda's life were her two girls Kelly and Andrea. She made them the center of her life and put aside her own happiness for them. At one time she took a job on a paper route so that she would be able to take them with her on her route. They would always stop for chocolate milk and donuts and sing along to Rod Stuart as they threw the papers into the yards. Her favorite bands were the Beatles and Oasis. Her favorite color was purple. She always told her girls a line from the movie "The Color Purple", that God put purple in strange places in nature to make sure we are paying attention. Malinda loved animals and always had a lot of them. As a girl her and her sisters would walk across the river and across railroad tracks just to ride horses. Malinda was a wonderful mother that gave her daughters an unbreakable bond, and a very caring person that had trouble putting herself first. Even in her last days she was worried about how her death would affect her family. She is greatly missed and life will never be the same without her.



Now here is a poem from her daughter Andrea:

Missing Mom

Your hair and face a golden ray
Your image I can't erase

This reality now does not seem
I close my eyes for just one dream

I want to touch you and kiss your face
I want to hold your sweet embrace

Mom is the name that I love
I hope you can see us from above

With two lovely girls we've made you proud
I will always look for you even in crowds

We want a sign to know you're safe
Your love and memories no one can take

I hope you're happy and having a good time
I will watch the stars to see you shine

I love and miss you Mommy
Love, Andrea

grandfather Andy B. Covey (1907-1982)*
grandmother Berniece Elizabeth Crisp Covey (1916-1996)*