Karl Malden's mother was 103 when she died in 1995 while living at St. Anthony's Nursing Home in Crown Point.

At age 97, he came close to catching up with his mother's triple-digit number.

Malden, who died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles' quiet Brentwood neighborhood, knew the importance of celebrating and cherishing life's everyday moments.

He had a Serbian band at his mother's 100th birthday party in 1992, yet another example of how he always remembered his roots.

In November 2007, I spent two hours visiting with both Malden and Mona, his beautiful wife of 70 years at their home while I was in Los Angeles.

Mona brought out a tray of iced tea and cookies, and we talked about his memories, of family, his career and the region.

"It doesn't matter how old you are or where you might live at the moment, it's the way you were raised and where you were raised that are the most important parts of your life forever," he said.

"Most people everywhere know that I was raised among the steel mills in Gary, Ind., and that's fine by me."

Each time I talked to him, I always would refer to him as "Mr. Malden," and he'd always say, "Call me Karl."

Malden's last trek to Indiana was in 2001, when he was awarded an honorary degree during the May commencement ceremony at Valparaiso University.

The man who earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1951 movie, "A Streetcar Named Desire," received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

"I haven't been back home since that visit for the Valparaiso University graduation," said Malden, who grew up as Mladen Sekulovich.

His friends called him "Suki" for short.

"But my thoughts are always back home in Indiana. I was just recently thinking about how when I was at Emerson High School in Gary, we played a tough game against Hammond High School and won by one point. I always think about Northwest Indiana around sectional basketball time."

Despite a career that included so many major awards and honors, in addition to fame and success, Malden always remained a down-to-earth "everyday man," with a kind soul, who seemed more like a neighbor who enjoyed chatting "over the fence."

The last time I talked with him was in December, over the telephone, to share all the scoop with him about his induction into the South Shore Wall of Legends at the Indiana Welcome Center. He wasn't able to attend, but he was eager to hear all about it.

And I always looked forward to receiving a note each year at the holidays with his Christmas card.

He knew I follow a tradition of always including myself with a celebrity on the cover of my holiday cards, and last year, I featured a photo with Jay Leno.

So last year, his card and handwritten note made reference to my photo with Leno, teasing that he couldn't even get booked on "The Tonight Show" these days, yet somehow, I had managed a photo with Leno. He also mentioned how Johnny Carson used to lampoon both him and his famous American Express credit-card commercial during "Tonight Show" skits.

During my 15 years with The Times, I've always had the responsibility of calling Malden for quotes for a local tribute following the death of any of his close, famous Hollywood friends, such as Marlon Brando and Richard Widmark, among others.

I'll miss those familiar telephone calls and especially that distinct voice on the other end of the line.

But all of my memories of his kindness toward me, and toward everyone who knew him either personally or through his work, will always remain.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.