Alma Dale Mallard

Alma Dale Mallard, 91, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2026, surrounded by his family at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Alma was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on March 13, 1935, to Patrick Warren Mallard and Melva Helga Engberson. He was the youngest of five children coming in last just after his twin brother, David. His early years were spent in Idaho and Texas before his father purchased a home across the street from the city park in Shelley, Idaho. It was in Shelley where his love of flying blossomed and his dreams became reality. Alma was a first-generation Idahoan; his dad had come from North Carolina to visit his sister in Driggs, Idaho, and had become smitten with a local girl and stayed. Alma was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he loved the Lord and believed in the power of prayer.

He attended school in Idaho Falls and Shelley, graduating from Shelley High School in 1953. While living in Shelley, Alma met Della Kelsey when he was admiring her brother’s airplane and she was keeping people from getting too close to the airplane. Despite this first meeting they quickly became friends and began dating in the 8th grade. On September 23, 1953, he was married and sealed for eternity to Della Kelsey in the LDS temple in Logan, Utah. Prior to Della’s death in December 2025, they had celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary.

Alma and Della made their home in Mississippi, Alaska, Washington, California and eventually settled in Shelley, Idaho, where they raised their family of nine children, six boys and three girls, and also ran their agricultural spray business and charter company from their home. Early on in their marriage Alma and Della would haul their children around many of the western states with them as they followed the spray seasons and the kids spent a lot of time in motel swimming pools. One notable adventure was Alma taking his family to Managua, Nicaragua, where he crop dusted. An adventure to Saigon, Vietnam, in 1968, was nipped in the bud, where Alma was flying for Continental Air Lines. When his son Dana contracted meningitis, so Alma came home and didn’t return to Vietnam.

Alma started taking flying lessons from Della’s brother, Duen, a WWII pilot, before he was legally eligible to be licensed. Alma financed the lessons anyway he could, including the sale of the trombone his father had bought him. He soloed when he was 15 and was the youngest, licensed pilot in Idaho when he received his pilot’s license. By the time he was a senior in high school he had his own airplane and would use it to help the local search and rescue teams; in fact, he helped so often he had too many absences to graduate. Thankfully, the search and rescue authorities convinced the high school principal of the value of Alma’s contributions, and he was allowed to graduate with his class. Alma loved that airplane, but he loved our mother Della more and sold his airplane to buy Della her wedding ring. Shortly after their marriage Alma went to Mississippi where he was taught how to be a crop duster by Jimmy Davis; they sprayed for pine beetles. Alma’s flying jobs took him all over the United States and to Nicaragua and S. Vietnam and once he added charter trips to his resume he flew to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Alma loved the Hispanic culture and spent much time in these countries. In fact, if you ever met Alma, he would try to convince you to come with him to Belize.

Alma’s children and grandchildren were raised around airplanes and all six of his sons, and a couple of his grandsons, had pilot licenses at one time. His son, Duen, followed him into the crop-dusting business. All of his children had the opportunity to spend their summers with him working in the crop-dusting business where we had the chance to see many sun rises.

Alma is survived by his children, son, Duen (Jolene) Mallard, Idaho Falls, Idaho; daughter, Terri Mallard, Twin Falls, Idaho; son, Kelly (Michelle) Mallard, Idaho Falls, Idaho; son, Dana (Rhonda) Mallard, Idaho Falls, Idaho; son, Joseph (Lisa) Mallard, Idaho Falls, Idaho; daughter, Holly (Jeff) Coles, Ririe, Idaho; sister, LaRae Darling, Tempe, Arizona; and brother, David Mallard, Idaho Falls; and 25 grandchildren, 67 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Della, sons, Kym Mallard and Todd Mallard; his daughter, Dayle Anne Collins; father, Patrick Warren Mallard; mother, Melva Helga Engberson; sister, Beth Willey; and brother, Warren Mallard.

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 955 Memorial Drive, Idaho Falls, Idaho (next to the temple). A visitation for friends and family will be held Saturday morning, March 28, 2026, from 9:30 am to 10:45 am prior to the service at the church. Burial services will be held at the Archer-Sutton Cemetery.

Please join us for a luncheon at The Legacy Flight Museum, 400 Airport Road, Rexburg, at 2:00 pm to share food and memories of Alma.