ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Malia Lane.  Born on April 30, 1951, Malia was 67 years old when she passed away peacefully on February 11, 2019. A beloved mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, her accomplishments were great, although she never really believed how much she helped and inspired others.  In her extensive travels as an full time RV'r, she made many friends. She also inspired many with her website, blogs and book "Fear Less vs. Fearless". We all will miss her so much but she will remain in our hearts forever.

February 11
February 11
Still miss you like crazy sweetheart, wish you were here to travel with us. I watched some of your videos yesterday, you memory will never fade, we love you much Malia.
April 30, 2023
April 30, 2023
Oh Malia, happy birthday sweetheart, been 4 years plus a couple months, we miss you so much and would just like to talk with you again. Hope you are traveling the universe now making lots of friends. I dont think you could of imagined how many people miss you and the impact you had on everyones lives. Angelique so needs to hear from you. See you again one day dear friend. <3
February 11, 2023
February 11, 2023
It has been 4 years since you left us. Still missing you a bunch and thinking of you often. So many things to share with you but I guess that has to wait for awhile till we meet again. Love you. Thanks for being my sister-in-heart.
February 11, 2021
February 11, 2021
Dearest Malia my sweet friend, 2 years now past and thoughts of you still stay on my mind. As suspected you did indeed return as your spirit in the roadrunner like we talked about, I am reminded almost daily as I see you strut by :D wishing you were here with us and especially Angelique. Travel on sweet soul <3
June 20, 2020
June 20, 2020
I met Malia years ago in Jacksonville, Oregon, my adopted home town in the Rogue Valley. We had lunch and before i knew it, I was hooked on RVing, sold my mobile home and lived in my Alfa on the Rogue River for several years, then moved it to Bandon on the South Oregon Coast.  Like many others, I kept in touch with Malia and visited her various internet sites. I found her "business" card today in a notebook and checked out her website and found she had passed away and in Medford, Oregon, just miles from where she and I had lunch. I loved keeping up with her travels. She told me about a Red-tailed  Hawk that had landed around her RV when she was in the Rogue Valley, and it visited several times. I hope it accompanied Malia to Heaven. 
April 30, 2020
April 30, 2020
Still missing you and the fun we had together. Miss your smile, your laughter and your adventurous spirit. Happy Birthday.
September 5, 2019
September 5, 2019
Malia- Though we only met briefly a time or two, the love for your family was always evident. I know that Angie misses you dearly. I can’t help but to feel your spirit coaxing me to reach out to her, for I know what it is like to have lost a parent. Most times I am unsuccessful in doing so and usually end up feeling as though I am more of a nuisance than a friendly hug or ear to listen, but I ALWAYS find a way to pick the phone back up and try once more. She’s not made it easy though. I questioned whether or not to even write this but I figured as long as my intentions were sincere no harm would be done. I just want to be able to tell you that she is doing ok. I’m not quite sure she’s there so wanted to ask you if you might find it in your heart to continue to wrap your angelic wings around her and whisper in her ear, letting her know that better days are yet come? I was reminded just now of your blog and how I mentioned to her that all along I thought it was Malia Smiles, rather than Malia’s Miles. We both got a kick out of that . I truly hope that she feels you smiling down on her daily and I promise to keep nagging her ever so often on your behalf (as well as my own) because I miss her smiling face as well.
September 3, 2019
September 3, 2019
Malia was my first "virtual" friend, who I discovered while searching the Internet for RV "full-time" living, when I came across an interview she did while traveling through Michigan (my home state) then started following her blog. My notes to Malia usually ended "your vicarious friend." Malia's adventures were so inspiring that it encouraged me to do it when I retire. Learning that she lost her battle brought tears to my eyes, but now you're with the Great Creator and that brings a big SMILE to my wet face. Thank you, my virtual friend, for being such an inspiration to me and others. You'll be missed.
July 8, 2019
July 8, 2019
Malia - Although a brief time we spent at a spiritual retreat together, I will never forget the gift you gave me in our encounter of synchronicity. You were an amazing soul. Your light, courage, and insights were unforgettable. I will never forget how the name “Angelique” created an instant bond between mother/daughter understandings. May you fly high, say hi to my momma J. Angelique for me. See you all on the other side! -Rebecca
April 30, 2019
April 30, 2019
Happy birthday Malia, not much has changed, we still miss you and try to move on. Keeping watch over Angelique for you, she is such a sweet child and we know you want her taken care of. Hope you are soaring above all the awesome places you wanted to go and have been too, your boundaries are endless now. Peace awesome friend!
April 30, 2019
April 30, 2019
I so enjoyed the time we spend together in Kalispell, Montana a few years back. After following each other's blogs we finally got to meet in person. After a nice lunch at Sykes in Kalispell John worked on your car then we spent the afternoon swapping travel stories. Since we were both going to be in town for a while we had a cookout at John's Aunt Eloise's and also invited other RV friends that just happened to be in the area. We all laughed so much we hurt. I read your book and loved it. Everytime I see a funny joke that we both would think "funny", I think of you. I know you are looking down on us and watching over us. Happy Birthday to you in Heaven Malia, we miss you.
March 23, 2019
March 23, 2019
I feel like I was one of the "lucky" ones as I got to know Malia very well. When she was up here in Oregon a few years ago, she wanted to see the snow so we took a trip down to Shasta and drove all around the majestic Mt Shasta on a beautiful clear day. She was totally in awe of the powerful mountain. She wanted to return one more time but sadly that was not to be as we had very little snow when she felt she was still up to it. But we did get to do lots of short trips to various places. Mt Ashland had a bit of snow but nothing like Mt Shasta. 
I always loved her sense of adventure and her willingness to go anywhere and do anything at least once. As she became more easily fatigued we limited our outings to lunch and grocery stores. We had our last lunch about a week before she passed. She wanted to go to 5 Guys Hamburgers. She had a great appetite and ate everything including a milk shake. 
I was honored she wanted me to be with her on her last day on earth. We laughed, cried a little, and said our goodbye's. I will miss my friend tremendously but I know she is in a better place. RIP my friend.
March 20, 2019
March 20, 2019
Thank you my dear sweet friend of all these years, you are so missed by all of us but we know you are keeping an eye on us. We got you covered here, travel safe and I am sure we will meet again.
PS, I will be watching for your return in the desert as that roadrunner!

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Recent Tributes
February 11
February 11
Still miss you like crazy sweetheart, wish you were here to travel with us. I watched some of your videos yesterday, you memory will never fade, we love you much Malia.
April 30, 2023
April 30, 2023
Oh Malia, happy birthday sweetheart, been 4 years plus a couple months, we miss you so much and would just like to talk with you again. Hope you are traveling the universe now making lots of friends. I dont think you could of imagined how many people miss you and the impact you had on everyones lives. Angelique so needs to hear from you. See you again one day dear friend. <3
February 11, 2023
February 11, 2023
It has been 4 years since you left us. Still missing you a bunch and thinking of you often. So many things to share with you but I guess that has to wait for awhile till we meet again. Love you. Thanks for being my sister-in-heart.
Her Life

The evolution of a brave woman.

March 12, 2019

Malia was born in New Orleans as a middle child with two brothers.  Her parents divorced when she was 8 years old and she was raised by a single mother, Bertha. (Learn more about Bertha at  https://www.forevermissed.com/bertha-leblanc-quimby/#about .)  She was a handful as a teenager and left home at the age of 16 to start her journey.  Life was not easy for her and by age 18 she had a daughter.  She relocated to Austin where she had a second daughter.  She became a very skilled legal secretary to support her family and even started her own business as a virtual assistant.  In 1987 Malia made a big decision to move to Hawaii after a visit there where she connected with the islands.  She had no job or place to live but decided it was something she really needed to do.  It was just the first of many brave decisions she was to make in her life.  She survived and thrived in Hawaii.  

Her next life changing event came in 2001 when she decided to buy an RV and travel around the country. A solo woman RVer, who ever heard of that?  If you want to know about her fantastic RV adventures you can read about it in the book she had published Fear Less vs Fearless: The Journey of a Lifetime which is available on Amazon.  Also her website https://maliasmiles.com/ details her travel adventures. She learned along the way how to become brave and take one step at a time to reach her goals. 

A final fearless decision was made in 2018 when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She chose to not treat her cancer as treatment would almost certainly be fruitless and bring many unpleasant side effects. She wanted to enjoy her life as long as she could.  She also decided to move to Oregon so she could participate in Oregon's Death with Dignity Act when life no longer allowed her to be free.  She made the final choice as her disease finally began to take away her independence.  We are all very thankful for the staff at Asante hospice, especially Holly her Nurse Case Manager, Katie her Social Worker and Mary with Compassion and Choices who helped her through her final journey.

Malia is survived by her daughters Angelique McCravy, Keala Carr and her brother John May (Lois).  She is also survived by two granddaughters Caitlin Chambers and Anna Carr; and two great-granddaughters Cailie and Cadence Nemetsky; a niece Heather Roberts (Gavin); and nephew Kevin May (Vera).  

Malia asked there be no formal service but requested we use this website as a memorial to her.  Please share your feelings, pictures and stories about Malia.


Recent stories

When Malia and I first met

March 20, 2019

I first starting conversing with Malia in 2003 after finding her blog on rv'ing, she was elusive in posting and would go for periods and post nothing but I would occasionally email her and she would always respond. In 2004 a group of people on the Escapees forum started a Graduating Class of 2005 for people who were going to go full timing in their rv's, certainly this was not a new idea as many many before did this but it fit our schedule. I became involved with the group along with some other very key players Garry Summers, Anne Goldman, Kathy Adams and the one who first headed it up Teresa J Breuer. We had decided to hold our Graduation event in the Mecca of Quartzsite Az where all the fulltime rv'ers would flock to in the winter. Well what would this event be without the Queen of rv'ing attending! So I asked Malia if she would come talk to the group and at the time she said I really don't make plans but will consider it. Well fortunately she did consider and committed to speaking to the group about her experiences and sharing her knowledge with us. Fast forward to her arrival at Quartzsite (she hated it because of the dust but endured it because she promised me she would :) ) I met her at the check in shack and one of the members of the group had secured us a place in the desert but it was about 1 or 2 miles back in so I told her to follow me. We were on our way back to the camp when I saw my first roadrunner ever, I was crazily pointing out my window and trying to call her on the cell and she thought I was losing my mind lol. When we got to the camp she asked me what the hell that was all about and I told her a roadrunner, she smiled and said "I have seen hundreds of them!" laughed and then said it was a defining moment for her as it reminded her of when she first started rv'ing and how the simplest of things excited her. She never forgot that and sent me the attached postcard back in August of 2016. She wrote in huge letters on the back of the card 'LOOK TAB! IT'S A ROADRUNNER!!! :) Such a sweet tender loving individual but with a demented side sense of humor that matched us up so well, a forever friendship was cemented that day for life between us and we never lost touch.

I told her before she passed that we would meet in the desert and I knew it would be her visiting whenever I saw a roadrunner, run free you crazy child of the universe! Love you always! Deanna and Tab,

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