Josephine O'Malley's Obituary
Josephine (Jo) O’Malley was born May 18, 1953, in Chicago. IL, daughter of Helene and Charles O’Malley,. She died on April 3, 2021, lovingly supported by her family after a long courageous journey with brain cancer, which she met with surrender and grace.
She grew up in Kenilworth, IL until her family moved to Louisville, KY in May, 1968.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from St. Louis University and thereafter embarked on a career that was replete with service and passion. She began as a public health nurse in a community Health Center in St. Louis. After her relocation to the California Bay Area, she worked for Planned Parenthood, San Francisco Rape Crisis Center and spent the last 15 years of her career as a wound care specialist for Hospice before her brain cancer diagnosis 6 1/2 years ago.
She married the love of her life, Michael (Mick) Brucker, in February, 1983 and they have 2 sons, Jacob Micheal O’Malley Brucker and Samuel Wolf O’Malley Brucker.
She was an accomplished athlete and excelled at sailing, skiing and road biking, completing the AIDS
ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles three times in support of AIDS Research and Prevention as well as many other long-distance rides.
For her entire life she loved summer vacations at the family cottage on Elkhart Lake, WI., missing only 2 summers over the course of her life. She loved hosting friends and family.
She was pre-deceased by her parents and her sister, Charlotte M. O’Malley.
She is survived by her husband, Mick, her 2 sons, Jake and Sam, her sisters, Helen O’Malley Butler (Cold Spring, NY),
Ann O’Malley Shake (Louisville, KY), Margaret O’Malley (Reno, NV), her brothers, James J. O’Malley (Mt. Eden, KY), John E. O’Malley (Louisville, KY), her stepdaughters, Randi DiSalvo (Santa Cruz, CA), Stacy Bogan (Concord, CA), Lisa Brucker (Woodland Hills, CA) and many treasured nieces, nephews and friends.
Due to Covid, there will be a celebration of her life when circumstances allow. Please make any donations in her name to your local Planned Parenthood.
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