Frederick F. O'Malley Sr., 83, GE engineer

Frederick F. O'Malley Sr., 83, of King of Prussia, a retired GE engineer, died of cancer at Montgomery Hospital in Norristown on Saturday, two days after his 60th wedding anniversary.

For 40 years, Mr. O'Malley was employed by General Electric Co. in Philadelphia and Valley Forge. Before retiring in 1989, he was involved in GE aerospace projects for NASA, including the development of the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle.

Mr. O'Malley graduated from Phoenixville High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball and won an intramural boxing championship.

During World War II, he served in the Navy in the Pacific aboard a destroyer tender, where he honed his talents as a cook, his family said.

After his discharge, he studied mechanical engineering at Drexel and Villanova Universities and earned a bachelor's degree from Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia.

Mr. O'Malley and his wife, Dorothy Rogan O'Malley, met at a dance in Manayunk. In 1954, they were founding members of Mother of Divine Providence Roman Catholic Church in King of Prussia. Mr. O'Malley was one of the first leaders of the Boy Scout troop at the church and for 17 years coached youth basketball there. He also managed the kitchen on bingo nights, ran the father-son golf tournament, and helped organize the Christmas bazaar.

He enjoyed golf, darts, bowling, and preparing his signature dishes, including orange chicken, prime rib, eggs Benedict, and a Christmas favorite, crown roast pork. He had a quick wit and was a stellar storyteller, his family said. He often waxed nostalgic about the 1976 vacation he took to Ireland, home of his ancestors, and reminisced about his trip to Luxembourg in 1992 to visit the grave of his brother, John, who died in World War II.

In addition to his wife, Mr. O'Malley is survived by daughters Dorothy Maurer and Mary; a son, Frederick Jr.; a sister; and a granddaughter.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Mother of Divine Providence Roman Catholic Church, 333 Allendale Rd., King of Prussia. Friends may call from 9 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.