ALFRED MALOLEY

ALFRED MALOLEY, 100, of Fort Wayne, died on Thursday, March 20, 2014, at his home. Born May 24, 1913, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Lebanese immigrant parents, he remained a resident throughout his life. He was best known as the owner of the Maloley Grocery Stores of the greater Fort Wayne area and was a significant community leader. Coming from humble beginnings, Maloley earned a track scholarship to the University of Illinois in 1931 when his father suddenly died. He returned home to find that his father's corner confectioners store had burned to the ground. At the height of the Depression, Al and his brother, Mike could not find jobs to help support their mother and the rest of their family. So with the $750 insurance money, they claimed after the fire, they began their own grocery business. It would grow into one of the Fort Wayne area's largest independent supermarket chains known as Maloleys. There would eventually be 18 Maloley stores in Fort Wayne and surrounding areas, two M&M Gold Stamp redemption stores modeled after S&H Green Stamps, and the Maloley bakery. By the 1970's, Maloleys employed over one thousand Hoosiers. He sold the entire business in 1980 to Super Valu Company. Al Maloley's success came from attention to detail, especially in the produce sections of the stores. A man of great foresight, he was always looking to changing trends. Following the evolution of California stores that were many times the size of Indiana stores, he would eventually greatly increase the size of his stores - this innovation put him at the forefront of the independent supermarket chains. Maloley became a leader in the community, he was respected and admired. He served on many boards including Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and Peoples Trust Bank and aided in the banks transition to Summit Bank. He had an insatiable appetite for learning and, as an advocate of higher education, sat on the board of the University of Saint Francis when it was known as Saint Francis College and served on the development committee for the Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech). Al sat on the Fort Wayne Better Business Bureau, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Fort Wayne Country Club boards and served as President to all three. An avid supporter of all the arts, he was instrumental in finding a home for a very young Fort Wayne Ballet Company when it was under the direction of John Neff. He also was a member on the board of the Fine Arts Foundation. Al was married in 1939 to Julia Ellis of Grand Rapids, Mich. Julia's death preceded Al in 2006 after 66 years of marriage. She shared in his love of community and together they enjoyed all it had to offer and the many friendships that ensued. They had two daughters, the late Nancy Maloley and Pamela (Maloley) Morris of Durham, N.C.; one grandson, Alfred Morris of Durham; one brother, Edmone Maloley and his son Michael Maloley, both of Fort Wayne; nieces, Ginny Maloley and Nellie Maloley, both of Fort Wayne, and Judy Elsworth of West Bloomfield, Mich.; and nephews, David Joseph of Williamston, Mich. and Mark Newell of Los Angeles, Calif. He will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife in a private family burial at Trinity Episcopal Church. Memorials may be made to Fort Wayne Philharmonic, 4901 Fuller Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46835; or Turnstone Center, 3320 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46805. To sign the online guestbook, visit www.domccombandsons.com