Milton M. "Bootsy" Malkus, Jr.

Milton Melanchton Malkus Jr. died peacefully in his sleep on Friday morning, February 28, 2020.  A farmer all his life, he was predeceased in 2009 by his loving wife of (67) years, Martha Keplinger Malkus. He was born near Cambridge to Milton M. Malkus Sr and his wife Nanette Luthy Malkus, on November 13, 1921. He loved his wife, his family, his church and his farm. Milton was a man of few words, however prior to his passing he wrote the following about his long career in farming.

“I was better known by most of my family and close associates as ‘Boots’ or ‘Bootsy’, a nickname I acquired in early childhood.

I was a lifelong and active member of Immanuel United Church of Christ, where I served in various positions including President of the Church Council and Superintendent of Sunday School. I sang in the church choir for seventy years.

I was a lifelong member of the Dorchester County and Maryland Farm Bureau, the Tidewater Farm Club, the Dorchester County Historical Society and the South Dorchester Folk Museum.

My education began in a one-room country schoolhouse and I graduated from Cambridge High School in 1938.

I started farming with my father and in 1942 started farming on my own. In 1960, with my brothers Calvin and Ted, we formed Blackwater Farms, Inc. and over the years built it into a large family farming operation, producing vegetables, grain, soybeans, hogs and timber. In 1978 the farm was presented Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts’ award for Outstanding Cooperator. In 1982 Blackwater Farms was designated as the Maryland statewide tree farmer of the year. In 2007 the Malkus family was inducted into the Maryland Agriculture Hall of Fame for excellence in agriculture by the Governor.

Under President Dwight Eisenhower’s ‘People to People’ program to promote better understanding and goodwill among people around the world, I was part of a delegation of Maryland agriculturalists who traveled to the Soviet Union and serval other European countries to meet with farm leaders to discuss mutual concerns and interests.

For various periods of time our family hosted foreign exchange students from Denmark, Norway, Japan and Australia.

I was a past president of the Maryland Crop Improvement Association and served nine years on the Maryland Agriculture Commission, representing field crops. I was a founding director and past president of the multi-state Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association and Chairman of the Maryland Soybean Board.

An avid outdoorsman, I have hunted and trapped in the wetlands and uplands adjoining the Little Blackwater River for most of my life. I enjoyed watching sports as a fan of the University of Maryland Terrapins, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Redskins.”

In addition to his wife he was predeceased by his brothers Kenneth, Calvin, and Ted and his sisters Virginia Asmussen and Nancy Spicer.  He is survived by his son Milton M. “ Sonny” Malkus III and his wife Dr. Betty Malkus, and his son Keith E. Malkus; his granddaughter Dr. Amy Malkus and her husband Mostafa Fahmy; his grandsons Dr. Mark M. Malkus and his significant other Maria Valdez; Milton M. “Chad” Malkus IV, Esq. and his husband Thomas; his great-grandchildren Hayley E. Malkus, Jackson A. Malkus, Carter S. Malkus, Lachlan M. Malkus, and Fynn S. Malkus; as well as a very large extended family.

The family will be welcoming those wishing to pay their respects at the Thomas Funeral Home on Thursday, March 5, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 8:00pm with a funeral to follow on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 11:00 am at Immanuel United Church of Christ, with burial to follow at Old Trinity Church Cemetery.  Pallbearers will be his grandsons and great-grandsons; honorary pallbearers will be William C. Malkus, Patrick W. Malkus, George Barnett, and Phillip Jackson, Sr.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Memorial Fund at Immanuel UCC, 5401 Whitehall Road, Cambridge, Maryland.