Melborne, AR - Former Ada News Employee, Patricia Jean (Carpenter) Mallan, 87, passed away on January 10, 2025, in Batesville, Arkansas. Born on August 30, 1937, in Glasgow, Montana, Patricia was the youngest of five children of the late Earl Keays Carpenter and Emma Alice (Boyer) Carpenter. The family relocated frequently, living in various places including Montana, Rhode Island, and Alaska. After marrying Alger V. Mallan (from July 1961 to January 1970), they initially resided in Montana where son Richard and daughter Donna Lee were born, and subsequently moved to Southern California, where they welcomed sons Jeffrey and Robert. Patricia and her children eventually moved to Francis, Oklahoma, where she took care of her father, Earl K. Carpenter.

Patricia devoted herself to providing for her family and single-handedly raising her four children. Her children remember never lacking anything due to Patricia's tireless efforts. She supported them in all their endeavors, from baseball to singing and school activities, making their needs her priority.

Outside of work, Patricia enjoyed watching television and reading. She was an avid reader who loved sharing newfound knowledge with others. Her strength and perseverance and wit were among her most admirable traits. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend who will be deeply missed by all those who knew her.

Patricia is survived by her daughter, Donna Lee Chavez; sons, Jeffrey A. Mallan (Tanya K.) and Robert K. Mallan (Janet); brother, Donald L. Carpenter (Jean); six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, E. Keays Carpenter (who survived the Bataan Death March during World War II, but later died in a POW camp located in the Philippines), William J. Carpenter, and Kenneth C. Carpenter; and son, Richard V. Mallan. The memorial service for Patricia Jean (Carpenter) Mallan of Melbourne Arkansas, will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Central Church of Christ located at 820 S. Stadium Drive in Ada, Oklahoma.