Carole Jacobs Malkin
1942-2014
Carole Malkin was born on Jan. 22, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, the second of two children. After her father left the household, Carole was raised by her mother. When her mother died of breast cancer at 43, Carole moved in with an aunt and lived with her until she left for college.
Despite her difficult family circumstances, Carole 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, Carole worked as a nurse’s assistant, teaching assistant, and research assistant. In 1960, she married another Antioch student, Richard Malkin, who later became the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. Carole graduated from Antioch with a degree in sociology in 1962. After completion of her degree in Ohio, she and her husband moved to Berkeley, California where Richard obtained a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry.
Carole 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. They had their second child, Karin, who was born in 1968. They returned to Berkeley in 1969 when her husband was appointed as a faculty member, and shortly after their return, their third child, Jesse, was born. They continued to live in Berkeley for more than 40 years.
Carole took up writing after obtaining a masters' degree at San Francisco State University. Her first book, The Journeys of David Toback, was published in 1981 by Shocken Books. In this book, Mrs. Malkin told the story of her grandfather, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who had documented his life experiences in diaries. The book was critically acclaimed and was selected as one of years outstanding works by the New York Times. Carole later authored four novels: The Life and Art of Gary Geckelman, Paper Bridge, The American Dream and Moishe The Magician. She also published a volume of short stories: The "Complete" Stories and a volume of poetry: Poems.
After Richard’s retirement in 2012, the Malkins moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to be closer to family and lived around the corner from their son, Jesse. Up until the final weeks of her life, Carole enjoyed hiking, yoga, Scrabble, cooking, and reading fine literature.
The Malkins had three children. Their first son, Daniel, died in 1997 of melanoma. Carole was survived by her husband Richard; two children, Karin Blumofe and Jesse Malkin; and her seven grandchildren.
