Malaya Isabel King's Obituary
Malaya was born on January 11, 2022, and passed away peacefully in the quiet of the night on February 12, 2023. Malaya is the daughter of Dr. Joanne Lagmay and Dr. Jay King and the sister of J. Andreas Mateo King. She is also survived by her grandparents Antonio Lagmay, Dr. Julie Lagmay, Dr. Sandra Abda King, her Nana Luci Steinkopf, great-grandmother Frances Perry and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and godparents, who are all devastated to lose her.
Malaya was a happy baby with an infectious laugh and a smile that lit up the room. She touched our lives with her beautiful and fiery personality. We loved watching her willful, silly, and joyful temperament develop as she got older. She loved music-- so much so that she danced before she could walk, and sang before she could talk. After an especially messy meal, she would often wipe her hands on her head until her hair stood up in a cute little mohawk. She was extremely precocious with a full set of teeth at 9 months, walked at 11 months, and would cheer with her sippy cup at 12 months. She was captivated by the moon and stars at such a young age and discovered the ever-fixed star outside her room every night before going to bed. She would light up with a smile whenever her parents came home from work and gave them the biggest, wettest kisses. Most of all, she loved her big brother Andreas, who could always elicit big-belly laughs with his playful antics. She woke him up with a kiss, or a smack on the head, every morning.
Malaya was the light of our family lives. Her life was short, but it was complete. She has accomplished her purpose of filling our hearts with unforgettable joy, love, and hope. We will forever miss our little angel, but we know she is watching over us all amongst the moon and stars. Fare thee well, our bright star.
The celebration of Malaya’s life will be at Grace at Fort Clarke 9325 W Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL 32606 on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Malaya’s honor to Grace at Fort Clarke for Memorials to provide a refurbished Wiggle Room for families with small children at https://gracegnv.org/malaya/ and/or
to Catholic Charities https://catholiccharitiesgainesville.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/39219/Default.aspx.
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