This weeks’s Philadelphia Inquirer ran a series of articles on the lives of centenarians in the Delaware Valley, including Charles Malloy, loving father and husband, and decorated WWII veteran. All of us here at LexChem Solutions are incredibly proud to salute Chuck Malloy’s father, who passed away peacefully two weeks after his interview with the Inquirer. It’s a wonderful tribute to an extraordinary American.

At 3 years old, Charles Malloy was sent to live at St. Vincent’s orphanage in the Tacony section of Philadelphia with his brothers Marty and Frank. Their father had deserted the family, and their mother could not support her children. From 1928 to 1936, Malloy was raised by German Catholic nuns. “I didn’t know what family living was,” he said.

Yet, when Malloy reflected on that time 96 years later, gratitude prevailed: for his education, his brothers, his health, the Delaware River. “I’ve always been thankful for things I’ve had,” he told me, “especially when you have the experience of having a father who leaves you to the wind.”

After returning to live with his mother and graduating from West Catholic, Malloy was drafted into the Army during the Second World War. He completed basic training in Mississippi and was stationed in France during 1944 and 1945, for which he was wounded and awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart.

The substance of those awards and accomplishments, at the end of his life, paled in intensity to his memories of the orphanage and his love for family. “I guess I did something they thought was important,” he said. Malloy studied accounting at St. Joseph’s College on the GI Bill and worked for DuPont for 35 years.

Forgiveness is paramount. “I never had any bitterness or anything toward my father, who shirked his duties,” Malloy added. “But I’ve married well, and I have great children. They’re all a blessing.”

Malloy died on May 18, nine months shy of his 100th birthday. When I asked the secret to living to 100, he replied simply, “Keep breathing.”

“I trust in the Lord. If you grow up without a father, that isn’t a good experience. But if you’re blessed as I am with a good wife, that substituted for a lot of things.”

– Charles Malloy, 99

This story was originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and has been re-published today.

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