11/8/1951-11/4/2026

With gratitude and sorrow we announce the passing of Nancy Maliszewski (née Kolsters)
She left us on Wednesday Nov. 4th, 2026

Though the world feels a little dimmer without her in it, we carry her with us in our hearts and in the way we show up for the people we love.

Her spirit lives on in those she guided & nurtured. To know her was to be seen, to be remembered, and to be loved. She was, and always will be, a force to be reckoned with.

Nancy lived a very full and adventurous life. It all started in Oakland, California where she did most of her schooling from kindergarten through high school graduation. She grew up in a house on Jordan Road with her parents, Bob and Helen and her four siblings Linda, Robert, Mick and Maureen. She lost her mother June when she was just 10 months old and knew Helen as her mom.

During the last couple of weeks before her passing, she shared many stories from when she was young. Just some of which were: playing in the pool that her dad built , swinging on the giant rope swing, sliding down the mudslide into the mud puddle , & flying in her dad‘s small plane to Mexico and eating turtle for Christmas. Her parents, instilled the sense of adventure that she passed on to her children and grandchildren.

When she was just 17 she met Leon. He’d been on the force about a year when he sat at the counter at the Denny’s near the police station and she waited on him. After they chatted, she was smitten! So when he mentioned needing a ride to his car 2 1/2 hours away, she volunteered. That date lasted all day and they were together ever since. When he passed in 2018 they were married for 48 years. They grew up together. Between 1971 and 76, they had the three children. Pete, Sarah, & Dan. Pete was taken from her in 2022 and she was heartbroken.

She instilled in her children a sense of responsibility. She showed them throughout their lives how to love and respect each other. How to be good people.

When the kids were little, she joined Burbank co-op preschool and made many friends, seven of which she had to this day. She continued her education and became co-Director of the preschool. She would later move on to become a manager at the Orinda country club for about 25 years. She retired in 2011 and continued to travel with dad.

She is survived by her daughter Sarah Reyes, her son Daniel Maliszewski, her 7 grandchildren Alexis & Brandon Kolsters, and Samantha, Max, Reese, Avery, & Emerie Maliszewski, two of her siblings, Mick Batt and Robert Kolsters & two nieces, Lauren and Andrea.

She was preceded in death by her father Robert Kolsters, her mother June Pearce, her step-mother Helen Cook, her husband Leon Maliszewski, her son Pete Maliszewski, and her sisters Linda Diaz & Maureen Batt.

She loved traveling and she and Leon introduced the kids to so many wonderful places. Camping & hunting all over California. Road-tripping to Missouri to visit her mom and stepdad, stopping along the way to see some awesome geology. They went to Disneyland too many times to count. Early on, she dressed the whole family in matching colored outfits so she wouldn’t lose them in the crowd. A tradition that continued into their adulthood. She knew all the secret things to do there and made it extra magical. In 1976 or so they bought a rustic cabin in Campmeeker, West Sonoma County. The kids grew up running up and down her moss covered paths, catching crawdads in the creek and tubing down the Russian river.

She loved and collected Maps and travel books. When she was just 18, she took flying lessons and even did two solo flights. She didn’t get to it, but it was on her bucket list to ride in a bi-plane. She was pretty sick near the end, but in June she got to take one last road trip with all of her kids, most of her grandkids, her son-in-law Robert and Dan’s girlfriend Hope. They made some great memories on that trip. She was so happy that they were together. Although she loved to travel, her family was her biggest passion. She had so much love for all of her grandchildren.

She will be so very missed, but she’s with Leon and Pete now.

Not all who wander are lost