“She was an exceptional seamstress,” remembers Kuliema Blueford of her 75-year-old sister, Malinda Watson, who tragically succumbed on January 29, 2025, to complications from smoke inhalation from the Eaton Fire.
“Her entire personal wardrobe was designer-level bespoke, just like you would find at a fine London tailor,” Kuliema continues.
Malinda was the third of ten children of Thomas and Mary Blueford. She was a frequent helper at Mary’s Thrift Store on Sunset at Orange Grove, where the family-run shop was a local fixture of the community for 25 years.
“Malinda could sew anything from high-level haute couture to men’s suits. She sewed all our family’s wedding and bridesmaid dresses. And that was a lot of work because there were ten of us brothers and sisters. She was always ready to deliver an exceptional prom dress, and she sewed mine.”
During the interview, Kuliema closed her eyes, holding back the sad thought about the closets full of Malinda’s finely crafted and keepsake clothing, suddenly just a memory now, all destroyed in the Eaton Fire that took their home. A few photos of the once extensive custom wardrobe are all that exist now.
A self-taught seamstress, Malinda could always be found at her Singer sewing machine with a glass of sweet tea. She only used Singer-brand sewing machines, but of course, they were burned in the Eaton Fire, too.
“She could make her own patterns,” says Kuliema, “but she also spent a significant amount of time at the fabric store, too.”
Malinda didn’t advertise her custom seamstress work but rather relied on word of mouth from satisfied clients, friends, people from her church, and, of course, family members who uniformly extolled her skills with the needle and thread.
Malinda attended Deliverance Tabernacle church until about five years ago, where she enjoyed the companionship of the community of Christian believers. She was a member of the choir there.
“She had a beautiful voice. She sounded a lot like Gladys Knight,” says Kuliema.
“She and my sisters had a singing group called Jade when they were young. They were talented singers, which turns out to be part of the Blueford family heritage,” says Kuliema. “They were very popular around town and sang at all the clubs in South LA. She loved music,” Kuliema continues.
Malinda attended PUSD schools and married Ralph Watson at age sixteen. In later years, they lived separately but never divorced. Watson passed away five years ago. Their only child, son Derrick Watson, was a veteran of the Iraq War. Sadly, Derrick passed away in 1993 after he returned from Iraq.
The Blueford Family in the Eaton Fire
“I was returning home from work,” says Kuliema, “when I received a text saying that there was a fire in Eaton Canyon. When I got home, Malinda was already packed and ready to go, but 98-year-old Mom wasn’t going anywhere. I walked outside and took a picture of the fire so that she could see how close it was. Then, her grandson Darren came by to check on us,” says Kuliema. “He quoted Proverbs 16:18 to Mom.”
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
“The quote seemed to resonate with Mom and with Malinda’s encouragement, she just started packing her bag. By 11 pm on January 7,” Kuliema said. “We had no Internet, cell phones, or electricity, so we were not receiving alerts. Out of an abundance of precaution, we all got in the car. We were barely able to see the road with all the smoke and ash,” remembers Kuliema.
They saved their lives and the contents of three small go bags. Sixty-five years of valuables, family treasures and their Malinda-inspired bespoke wardrobes were left behind.
At the hotel, they realized their home at Marathon and Fair Oaks was gone. Sister Louise Evans, who lived two houses around the corner on McNally, also lost her home.
“After leaving the hotel,” continues Kuliema, “Mom developed a cough, and Malinda could barely talk due to the effects of smoke inhalation. We took them both to the hospital where mom was diagnosed with pneumonia and Malinda, who had been suffering from mild flu, was treated for her emphysema that had worsened because of the smoke. Over the next 10 days, she improved enough to go to a rehab facility. We visited her that evening, but the next morning, she was gone.”
“Losing our family homes and all our belongings was awful,” relates Kuliema, “but losing Malinda has been the hardest thing for our family to overcome.”
A memorial service will be held later in the month. Malinda will be interred at Rose Hills Cemetery.
Malinda Watson is preceded in death by her son Derrick Watson, her husband Ralph Watson, her father Thomas D. Blueford, sister Janice Ross, and brothers Herman Blueford, Harlan Blueford and Ronald Simpkins.
She is survived by her mother, Mary Blueford, siblings Oree Booker, Louise Evans, Harold Blueford, Kuliema Blueford and a long list of nieces, nephews and friends.
