Carole Malkin (1942-2014)

Carole Malkin, an acclaimed author, devoted mother, and doting grandmother of seven, died of metastatic melanoma on September 7th at her home in Colorado Springs, Colo. She was 72 years old.
Mrs. Malkin was born on Jan. 22, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, the second of two children. After her father left the household, Mrs. Malkin was raised by her mother. When her mother died of breast cancer at 43 years of age, Mrs. Malkin moved in with an aunt and lived with her until she left for college.
Despite her difficult family circumstances, Mrs. Malkin thrived academically, winning a New York Regents scholarship. She matriculated at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, at the age of 16. During her breaks at Antioch, Mrs. Malkin worked as a nurse’s assistant, teaching assistant, and research assistant. In 1960, she married Richard Malkin. Mrs. Malkin graduated from Antioch with a B.A. in sociology in 1962. She and her husband subsequently moved to Berkeley, Calif. She completed an M.A. in creative writing at San Francisco State University in the 1970s.
Mrs. Malkin lived in Sweden for two years in 1967-68 with her husband and first son, Daniel. During her time there, she became fluent in Swedish. She later traveled to Russia, China, Japan, Israel, and throughout Europe. Her favorite foreign city was London, where she had several close friends.
Her first book, The Journeys of David Toback, was published in 1981 by Shocken Books. In the book, Mrs. Malkin told the story of her grandfather, David Toback, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who had documented his life experiences in diaries. The book was critically acclaimed. Mrs. Malkin later authored two self-published books, The Life and Art of Gary Geckelman and Paper Bridge. She briefly worked as a book reviewer for Newsday.
After Dr. Malkin’s retirement in 2012, the Malkins moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., to be closer to family. Up until the final weeks of her life, Mrs. Malkin enjoyed hiking, yoga, Scrabble, cooking, and reading literature.
The Malkins had three children. Her first son, Daniel, died in 1997 of melanoma. Mrs. Malkin is survived by her husband Richard; two children, Karin Blumofe and Jesse Malkin; and her seven grandchildren.
A memorial service in Berkeley, Calif., is being planned. Facebook
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Keith Conning: I was Jesse Malkin's track and cross country coach at Berkeley High School. My daughter Sarah graduated with Jesse in the class of 1987. We send our condolences to Jesse and his family.