James D. Malott, the beloved toymaker for Toys Wood ‘N Dreams, died Friday, May 22, at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Fontana. His wife, Rosemarie Malott, is owner of the toy store in the Fort.

Mr. Malott was born Feb. 23, 1921, in Marion, Ind. Prior to moving to Idyllwild in 1985, the couple owned an auto body shop in San Bernardino for 15 years. He retired when he moved to the Hill but made toys for his wife’s business, which is in its ninth year on the Hill.

Memorial services were held at the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Anza on Tuesday, May 26, with Pastor Richard Neilson officiating.

Burial was on May 29, 1998, at Montecito Memorial Park in Colton.

Along with his wife, he is survived by eight children: Steve of San Diego, Brett of Texas, Darrell of San Bernardino, Timothy of Ohio, Nikki of Texas, Cherryl Ann of Missouri, Cynthia of Massachusetts and Janine of Riverside; a sister, Marguerite Hoover of Van Nuys; 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, one of which was born this past weekend.

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