Gwendolyn Faye Malena, a beautiful soul full of faith, laughter, and love, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 30th. She was born on September 15, 1956, in Taylor, Texas, to Willie George and Bernice Marie Roberts. The fifth-born of thirteen siblings,

Gwen grew up in a family that valued strength, faith, and sticking together.

She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age joining the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, where she also attended public school.

Over the years, Gwen lived in Abilene, New York, Killeen, and eventually settled in Dallas, where she truly made her mark. She was married to the love of her life, the late L.B. Malena, and worked as an electrician from 1997 until a workplace injury forced her into early retirement. But even that could not stop her. Gwen answered a higher calling and became an ordained minister in 2013 under the Gospel of Christ Holy Temple Church, where she served faithfully and wholeheartedly.

Gwen was the kind of person who made you feel at home. She loved to cook, sing, go to church, and talk on the phone for hours. She would share what little she had with others. She often provided food for those in need. She loved watching the old westerns, The Lone Rangers and Gun Smoke. She still found time to make people laugh with her signature phrases like, "I don't play that," "I am saved, but I been done had a relapse," and the unforgettable way she would call out to her daughter, Jerika, "Jerikkkkaaaaa!"

Gwendolyn was preceded in death by her parents, Willie George and Bernice Marie Roberts-Ware; her husband L.B. Malena; her siblings Artis Stinson (Elizabeth), Kerry Don Roberts (Rena), and Kimberly White Hicks (Fred). Gwen leaves behind her loving daughter, Jerika Roberts-Crawley, and her precious grandson, Montana Cordell Bogar, who was the joy of her life. She also leaves nine siblings: Linda Taylor; Byron Roberts (Rhonda); Willie Roberts (Patricia); Sonya Roberts, Regina Roberts Anderson, Tony Roberts, Felix Ware Jr. (Michelle) all of Abilene, Texas; Sherman Roberts (Marilyn); Debra Roberts Williams (John) of Dallas, Texas; ...and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, friends, and loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy.

Her faith was deep and real. "The Lord's Prayer" was her favorite scripture—not just something she recited, but something she truly lived. Her life was a beautiful blend of strength, humor, and grace. To know Gwen was to love her and laugh with her. Her memory will live on in every joke told at the dinner table, every gospel song sung from the soul, and every prayer whispered in faith. Rest well our dear Gwendolyn. Your life has been a beacon of light, and your love remains eternal through the love we share as a family.