Obituary of Freda Mallen

Born in Poland, Freda emigrated with her family to Toronto at 4 years of age. The youngest of a family of 8 children, she showed her spirit of adventure at a young age. Searching for new forms of community, she went to live in a kibbutz in Israel in 1939 where she met her husband David. They returned to Los Angeles to raise 3 children, Wanda, Michael and Teresa and remained happily married for 73 years. Her love of all things beautiful brought music, art and nature in and around their home. She inspired and encouraged her children in these pursuits and now Wanda has created a 2 acre arboretum, Michael produces music for tv and movies and Teresa is a well-known local artist. Also an avid traveler, she and David wandered the world visiting friends and family, seeing the sites, attending plays and museums. Freda had a deep-seated belief in justice and equality and she was a member of organizations such as Na'amat, Women's Int'l League for Peace and Freedom and ACLU. After retiring as a court transcriber and moving to Santa Cruz in 1971, she and David built a beautiful home in Soquel where she flourished in volunteer activities creating an autobiography workshop for seniors at the Jewish temple, visiting seniors in their homes for Family Services and assisting classes in ESL at Cabrillo College. Her passion for reading and writing inspired her to publish 2 books entitled "In My Life" and "A Life Revisited" comprising collections of her wonderful short stories. Freda had a love of music so deep and wide that you could find her singing Verdi's Requiem in the Cabrillo Chorus, attending the San Francisco Opera every year and crooning along with Frank Sinatra up to the very end. Her beautiful spirit and love of life will forever flow through all those she has touched so deeply and left behind. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to light a candle for Freda and share any condolences with her family.