Mary Malone

Mary Malone is the mother of Beany, Johnny, Elizabeth and Mary Fred Malone, and was the first wife of Martie Malone.

Very little is known about Mary Malone. Although she obviously meant a great deal to Martie and her children, her loss isn't dwelled upon in the book. Here's what we do know:

Her name and age Her first name is given as Mary, so it's probably safe to assume Mary Fred was named for her. No middle or maiden name is given, and no family members other than Martie and the kids are mentioned. In "Meet the Malones," Beany says their mother would be 39 if she was alive, so she died at age 36, meaning she had Beany at age 26, Johnny at 24, Mary Fred at 23, and Elizabeth at about 21.

She wed early Martie and Mary wed while he was still at the University of Denver. He reported stories for the Denver Call newspaper during the day and went to class at night, it's revealed in "Tarry Awhile." But when Beany tries to use their marriage in favor of young marriage, Martie says, "I was 22 and your mother was 21, and I had a job as police reporter and took classes at night. We lived in that big room over the garage and rented the house because that first year, we needed the rent money more than we did the nine rooms. I had my degree and a raise by the time our first baby was born." Beany notes that he's saying that Mary, unlike Beany's friend Kay Maffley Collins, didn't work her husband's way through school. So we can assume Mary didn't work once they wed and became pregnant quickly. No word on if she attended college at all.

Her children were young when she died In "Meet the Malones," Mary Malone has been dead three years, meaning Beany, her youngest, was 10 when she lost her mother. Mary Fred would've been 13 when Mary died, and Johnny, 12. If Elizabeth is 18 in the first book (need to check), she would have been 15. We don't know what Mary died of.

She loved gardening In "Beany Malone," we learn that Mary Malone was an "enthusiastic" gardener. In this book, Beany is 16 and Mary has been dead 5 years. Still, each spring brings "glad and surprising remembrances of her" as the flowers she planted, bloom, including "flowering almond where they thought bridal wreath held sway," or "a few little crocuses pushing up in an unexpected corner." "And each time, it was like an extra warm smile from her," Weber writes.

She went by 'Mother' She's referred to by Mary Fred in "Meet the Malones" as "Mother," not "Mom," "Mama" or anything else.

She had plans for Beany's bedroom Before she died, she told Mary Fred that the family "must do over Beany's room," realizing that her youngest daughter was growing up, and her tiny nursery room, decorated with a border of rabbits tending flowers, was too immature for a growing girl.

She once lived above the Malone garage In "Tarry Awhile," the Malones fix up the level above their garage as an apartment for Kay and Joe Collins. Here's where we are reminded that Martie and Mary once lived there for a winter. Martie had to lug coal and wood up the stairs to heat it, and remarks that he was glad when they moved into the big house with automatic heat.