Maria Izabel Malone

March 1, 1928 - August 11, 2013

March 1, 1928-August 11, 2013

Maria Izabel de Schller Barbosa (Belzinha, as friends and family called her) embarked on her lifes journey on March 1, 1928 in Sabino Pessoa, Espirito Santo, Brazil. She was the third child of eight of Achilles and Djanira Barbosa. As a child she moved to Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. She attended the Izabela Hendrix School, where she later taught piano and French. She received her B.A. in Romance Languages at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and her M.A. at Faculdade de Filosofia da Universidade de Minas Gerais. Her love for piano led her to earn a degree in Classical Piano from the Conservatrio Mineiro de Msica. She was pianist and organist for Terceira Igreja Batista in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

In 1957 she came to the United States to continue her piano instruction studying Sacred Music at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. There she met her future husband, Don Malone to whom she was married a few months short of 50 years. She abandoned her dream of becoming a concert pianist to raise a family. Teaching was more conducive to doing so than touring. She taught French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Latin at various universities in the United States, including Hardin Simmons, Abilene, Texas--Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina--Wayland University, Plainview, Texas--Tougaloo College, Jackson, Mississippi.

In 1969 she joined Thompson Creek Baptist Church in Como, Tennessee where her husband was called to pastor. She devoted her life and love to God and to the members of the congregation with the same passion she brought to all her endeavors.

In 1969 she also joined the Modern Foreign Language Department at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She served as faculty advisor for the Alpha Omega Pi sorority and French Honor Society Pi Delta Phi. She continued teaching French, Portuguese and Spanish until her official retirement in 2001 and afterwards on a part-time basis. Piano was her first passion, but teaching became a close second. She spent her final years at the Cumberland of Green Hills. During this time she continued with her passion for teaching languages to private students and residents. In 2011, Jeremy Blooms Wish of a Lifetime Foundation honored her with her utmost wish when she performed a classical piano concert at Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts at Vanderbilts Blair School of Music.

Maria Izabel was preceded in death by her husband, Don Malone and beloved daughter Maryann Malone and her parents and siblings, Achilles Barbosa, Jr., Zacarias, Vicente and Leo Barbosa and her loving sister Alina Nascimento. She is survived by three children Rebecca Melo, Lisa Dunn and Daniel Malone, his wife Kim and five grandchildren, Campbell Dunn, Andrew and Zachary Melo, Abigail, Aaron and Alex Malone, two siblings Djanira Bueno and Henrique Barbosa and 16 nieces and nephews and her dear friend Bob Lymburner.

Maria Izabel ended her lifes journey and went to live eternally with her God on August 11, 2013 after a long battle with Alzheimers.

Her wonderful life will be celebrated on August 24, 2013, 2:00pm at the Cumberland Assisted Living 15 Burton Hills Boulevard, Nashville, Tennessee, 37215. The service will be simulcast for friends and family here and abroad. Those interested in participating should email [email protected] for login information.

An additional service will be held at Thompson Creek Baptist Church in Como, Tennessee. Details to be determined.

Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimers Maria Izabel Malone Tribute Fund .

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