Mallatt put his heart, soul into helping Laurel

LAUREL — Residents here laid to rest and paid tribute to a man who spent nearly 40 years in service to the town.

Special memories of Lavaughn “L.J.” Mallatt - or “Ole” as he was known to many — were at top of mind as word spread of his passing at the age of 95 on Friday, Dec. 9 and then laid to rest Wednesday.

“You’ll never see another person like him,” said Scott Rath, former Laurel mayor who would oftentimes seek out Mallatt’s advice.

Mallatt moved to Laurel in 1938 at the age of 10 and graduated from Laurel High School in 1944.

He spent two years in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, discharging in 1946. After completing studies at Wayne State College and Valparaiso University in Indiana, Mallatt returned to Laurel in 1950 where he opened a radio and TV shop. He also worked as a surveyor with the Nebraska Civil Engineering group as part of the Nebraska Department of Roads.

He worked as the Laurel city administrator from 1952 until his retirement in 1990. Even after he retired, he worked as a utilities consultant for surrounding communities and states.

Current City Administrator Mark McCoy said Mallatt hired him in 1984.

“He was a very dedicated leader of Laurel in his time,” McCoy said.

“He was a good boss, always fair and open-minded. He definitely was well respected.”

Rath describes Mallatt as highly intellectual - down to Earth even though he possessed a mechanical aptitude that surpassed even specialists in the field.

“He was just that smart, super intelligent,” Rath said “But he was the same person that would get his hands dirty, climb a ladder, get in a bucket and do whatever needed to be done.”

If there was an electrical outage on a Sunday, Mallatt would be there.

In his later years after retirement, Mallatt was known to continue to “tinker” at the city’s light plant which was something he loved to do, McCoy said.

Mallatt’s leadership extended beyond city utilities as he was hands-on with the city’s finances as well. Over his decades of service as city administrator, Laurel was able to reserve about $1.5 million in reserves, Rath said.

The story goes, he said, this was because of an answered fax.

That fax, from a southern United States electrical provider advertising rates, allowed the city to obtain electricity at about half the cost. The excess became money in the bank.

“He was highly involved in running the city and would get things done at a reasonable price and saved us money all the time,” Rath said.

Mallatt was beloved by the community because he had the uncanny ability to work with absolutely everyone, Rath said.

“He could read people. His PR (public relations) ability was excellent with employees or constituents - residents of Laurel - to give the best service and to help people,” Rath said.

Julie (Crisp) Siniard described Mallatt as friendly, recalling how he always made it a point to greet her with a hello even as a teenager.

He really cared about Laurel and will be greatly missed, she said.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Laurel and served on its board. He was also a member of the Laurel VFW and the Laurel American Legion groups.

He was proceeded in death by his wife, Marian in 2012 and many in Laurel commented on their true love story.

“It was a joy to watch them together - the epitome of real love for one another,” said Jackie Cyphert.

Amongst hugs and tears, whether they knew him well or not at all, Laurel residents are impacted by Mallatt’s legacy. For his full obituary, see page 3.