Joanne L. Malikowski

Joanne Louise Malikowski passed away peacefully under hospice care at the age of 101 at Ohio Living Swan Creek on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Born on December 14, 1923 to Richard and Louise (Drabik) Malikowski in a close and loving neighborhood on Belmont Avenue, she and her younger brother, Don grew up surrounded by their grandparents, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins in the Kuschwantz neighborhood. She was baptized and made her First Communion at St. Anthony's parish and attended grade school there. Her high school years were spent at Notre Dame graduating in 1942. After high school Joanne worked as a secretary and attended college part time until-at age 20- when never having been away from home alone but inspired by her desire to help in the war effort(and strongly supported by her Mom-Dad was dubious but he came around!) she joined the Navy! Her years with the WAVES were spent first at Hunter College in the Bronx and Bethesda, Maryland for training. Following her graduation she was stationed in California near San Francisco where she served as a PhM2c (Pharmacist's Mate Second Class) in Navy hospitals. Along the way she made many wonderful memories and lifelong friends. Returning to Toledo in 1946, Joanne enrolled at Bowling Green State University to earn her business degree (as she told it she "just rode along with friends so they could enroll" but came back all signed up herself!). After graduation Joanne worked for a local company before drawing on her talent for design and love of flowers to open her own flower shop on Lagrange Street. While her business flourished it did become all-consuming so Joanne decided to turn another page and return to college- this time at the University of Toledo to become a teacher and earn her Masters of Education. Her years as a teacher in the Dundee school system were marked by the friendships she made and students she impacted especially the younger teachers she mentored. Along the way Joanne was hugely supportive of her family- helping to oversee the building of two family homes and caring for her parents and extended family. She also traveled extensively- seeing most of the fifty states and some of Europe. In retirement Joanne simply shifted focus-putting her energy and organizational skills into use as a volunteer for her Church (RCIA), her community (Feed Your Neighbor) and her home (landscape, library and card committees at Ohio Living). She continued to enjoy travel and her memberships-the Notre Dame Alumnae and The American Legion among them. She went on The Honor Flight and had a wonderful time and traveled to many weddings (where she could get her favorite form of exercise-dancing) and graduations of her family and friends. Joanne had many talents and shared them generously. Her gift for friendship and her deep love of family have enriched all of our lives. She has been a daughter, an aunt, a cousin, a friend and mentor and example to so many and we are very blessed to have had her in our lives. Her parents; brother, Don; sisters-in-law, Lyn and Kay, and niece Laura predeceased her. Her niece Cheryl (Tony) Berumen and nephew Greg (Jeannie) Malik-all of California, niece Diane Malik of Toledo, great niece Brooke(David)Hopkins of Massachusetts and many cousins from the Fritz, Malikowski, Drabik, Trautman, Lennard and Bykowski families (to name a few) live on to do her honor by living our lives with the faith, purpose and love that she did. We would like to thank all of the staff at Ohio Living for the compassionate care they gave Joanne in her last illness and for the warm community she so enjoyed for the last 25 years. Friends may visit on Tuesday, June 17 at St. Joan of Arc Church, 5856 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Contributions may take the form of donations to Ohio Living Swan Creek -The Employee Appreciation Fund or the endowment fund.

Joanne L. Malikowski

December 14, 1923 - May 31, 2025