10/02/2018
Robert (Bob) Dale Malone, TSGT (Ret.) was born July 15, 1934 in Columbia, Iowa and spent his childhood with his family in the Knoxville area. His love of hunting developed early and continued his whole life.
He loved to tell stories of his mom, dad, brother, and three sisters. Near as we can tell, his ornery streak started early. He leaves his brother, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews with countless memories.
Bob first joined the Iowa Air National Guard and shortly thereafter, he joined the Air Force. He soon specialized in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, years before they had the robots and specialized suits. He traveled the world during his military career and served in the Korean War and Vietnam Conflict. During his military career, he planned his annual leave around Iowa Pheasant Hunting season and always looked forward to returning to Knoxville to share that with Mike.
He also loved his time teaching at the joint forces EOD school in Indian Head, Maryland. A former student of Bob’s remembers the time he spent helping him study and feels he wouldn’t have graduated without his help. All of his students liked him because he always went out of his way to ensure each student understood what he was teaching.
Decades later he would occasionally start a conversation with “well, they declassified another thing I participated in” and proceed to tell about another near-death or top-secret mission he participated in during his military career. He always credited his photographic memory to his success. He maintained lifetime memberships with multiple Air Force and EOD associations.
After he retired from the Air Force in 1973, he returned to Knoxville. Shortly thereafter, he started a second career with the VA Fire Department in Knoxville, Iowa. He was promoted to Chief there and retired a second time in 1993. During this time, he continued his favorite hobbies: boating and hunting.
He frequently joined a bowling league or two as well. He often organized his vacations around hunting or fishing trips. Family events often happened in the middle of Lake Red Rock. He didn’t care as much if the water was smooth or choppy, he just loved being on the lake. Molly remembers many days out on the boat with the family and water-skiing.
After his second retirement, he lived out most of his days in Knoxville. He traveled to military reunions while he could and particularly enjoyed attending the EOD Memorial event at Eglin Air Force Base. He had attended the first Memorial Ball in Maryland and appreciated seeing the event and the specialty grow and evolve. He was honored to host the NATEODA convention at Osage Beach, Missouri several years ago and the members remember it as a tremendous success.
DeAnn remembers that no matter his kids’ ages, he always had macaroni and tomatoes or spaghetti ready for them if they visited. And he always had coffee and a good story ready for visitors.
He is preceded in death by his father, James Malone, mother, Alta Long Malone, and sisters Mary Hulgan, Norma Haning, and Shirley Taylor.
He is survived by his brother, Jim Malone (Mountain Home, Arkansas); three children: Michael Malone (Knoxville, Iowa), Molly Malone-Peek (Belton, Missouri) and DeAnn Malone (Ames, Iowa); six grandchildren: Chad Malone (Pella, Iowa), Desty Kamm (Chicago, Illinois), Troy Malone (Bridgeport, Nebraska), Brock Bahling (Titonka, Iowa), Shane Malone (Des Moines, Iowa), and Jackson Davis (Ames, Iowa); and ten great-grandchildren: Brielle Malone (Pella, Iowa); Sydney and Aila Kamm 
(Chicago, Illinois); Quentin, Lola, and Knox Malone (Bridgeport, Nebraska); and Kaylynn, Kenley, Kiya, and Koltyn Bahling (Titonka, Iowa).
Services will be held at Winfield Funeral Home in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM and Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa, on Friday, December 7, 2018 at 2:00 PM.