Audra Faye O’Malley, 86, formerly of Evening Shade (Plato), MO, passed away on August 16, 2024, at Avera Oahe Manor in Gettysburg, SD, while recovering from a fractured pelvis.
Audra was born on April 27, 1938, to Chester Aaron Wallace and Mary Lea Schultz Wallace in Tribune, MO, (now the site of Fort Leonard Wood). She was the youngest of eleven children and was delivered at home. Audra spent her childhood in Pulaski County, mainly in Big Piney.
On March 12, 1954, Audra was united in marriage to Andrew (Jay) O’Malley in Waynesville. They made their home in the Evening Shade area where they raised two children. They were married for 69 years, until Jay’s passing in 2023.
Audra was employed at Rawlings in Licking for a short time and then worked as a telephone operator at Fort Leonard Wood. When she became a mother, Audra left her job to raise her children. When her children were teenagers, she began childcare in her home and continued for around 7 years. Later she was employed as a seamstress at the fort.
Evening Shade was her home until 2022 when she finally relented and moved in with her daughter due to her health.
She was very talented with a needle and thread and loved crocheting, sewing, and quilting. Her crocheted portrait of the Lord’s Last Supper won “Best of Show” at the Texas County Fair one year. Crocheted artwork that she created and donated adorn the walls of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Palace Union Church, and Roby Baptist Church. Audra also enjoyed reading, gardening, fishing, and she was an avid You Tube fan after she received an iPad. Her favorite pastime of all, however, was spending time with her three great-grandsons who called her GG.
Audra was a caring, compassionate person with a wonderful sense of humor. Everyone loved her sharp wit and the entertaining stories from her childhood. She was affectionally known as Audie by her siblings and their families. Her other nicknames included Mom #2, Super Granny, and for the last few months, The Southern Bell, a name bestowed by the residents and staff at Oahe Manor.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Mike; seven brothers: Orville, Bruce, Pat, Snick, Don, Brownie, and Ellis; and two sisters: Florine Godwin and Velma Zarcone.
She is survived by her daughter, Tammie Turner and husband Frank; grandchildren, Zac Turner and wife, Heidi, and Sierra Irwin and husband, Cole; great grandsons, Otto Irwin, Nolan Turner, and Hugh Irwin all of Pierre, SD; one sister, Gladine Boston of Surprise, AZ; and many nieces and nephews.
