Redlands, CA - Edwin Victor Malesky, Jr.

1946-2026

Edwin Victor Malesky, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, physician, teacher, and lifelong student of history, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his devoted wife of nearly six decades, Linda, their four children: Edmund, Lauren, Andrew, and Allison, and their grandchildren: Mai, Eva, Victor, Enzo, Luca, and Lino.

Ed was born in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1946, where he grew up in a modest but loving home with his two brothers. His parents, Florence and Edwin Victor Malesky, Sr., instilled in him the values that would define his life: hard work, humility, curiosity, and service to others. His father, a World War II veteran who fought at Normandy on D-Day, was a source of quiet inspiration throughout Ed's life.

After attending Henry Ford Community College, Ed transferred to the University of Michigan, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1968, studying history while completing his pre-medical requirements. Although medicine became his profession, history remained a lifelong passion. He was also a devoted Wolverine whose loyalty to the University of Michigan never wavered. He proudly wore his maize-and-blue hat for the rest of his life, and celebrated every victory (and endured every defeat) with unwavering optimism.

Ed continued to receive an M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he also pursued postgraduate training in internal medicine and allergy and immunology. He served as a fellow at the University of Colorado National Jewish Medical Campus under the mentorship of the renowned immunologist Dr. Harold Nelson, whose scientific rigor and intellectual curiosity deeply influenced Ed's own approach to medicine.

In 1977, Ed and Linda moved to Redlands, California, where he joined the Beaver Medical Clinic. He initially practiced both Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology before dedicating himself fully to allergy care. Over the next several decades, he built a thriving practice, but he measured success not by the size of his office, but by the lives he touched. Thousands of patients throughout Redlands and the surrounding communities knew him as a compassionate physician who listened carefully, remembered their stories, and treated each person with dignity and kindness. He cherished his patients and took great pride in helping them live healthier lives. His colleagues admired not only his clinical excellence but also his generosity, integrity, and quiet leadership.

The greatest love of Ed's life began with an unforgettable introduction. While working as a garbage collector to help pay his way through school, he spotted a young woman named Linda reading while sunbathing along his route. In an act of audacity and charm, he deliberately spoiled the ending of her novel, then asked if he could make amends by taking her to see the movie adaptation of the film. She said yes. That first date began a beautiful partnership and love story that lasted nearly sixty years.

Family was the center of Ed's world. He delighted in planning family quests (searching for unusual antiques and rare treasures on trips abroad), gathering everyone around the table for Sunday dinners, coaching youth soccer teams, and spending treasured weeks at Wavecrest in Del Mar. There, overlooking the rocky cliffs and the Pacific Ocean he loved, he could usually be found with a book in hand, playing games of checkers with his grandchildren, or enjoying a Brunello "on the veranda." Those quiet sunsets remain among his family's happiest memories.

Ed took immense pride in his children, not simply for their professional accomplishments but for the thoughtful, compassionate, and curious people they became. He delighted in following their careers and celebrating their successes: Edmund is a Professor of Political Economy at Duke University; Lauren teaches honors history at St. Luke's School; Andrew is a 3D animator for Netflix movies; and Allison is a regional customer director at AstraZeneca. He never missed an opportunity to tell others about them; however, his greatest satisfaction came from seeing each of them remain devoted to family and continue the values of integrity, curiosity, and hard work that he and Linda had sought to instill.

Ed believed that learning was one of life's greatest joys. Even after a demanding career in medicine, he immersed himself in Shakespeare, French impressionists, American and European history, biography, and the classics. He prepared meticulously for every meeting of his reading group, bringing the same discipline that had carried him through medical school decades earlier. He was equally devoted to his Rotary Club, the Fortnightly Society, and his longtime Tuesday morning coffee "klatch" in Prospect Park, where friendship, debate, laughter, and storytelling were cherished traditions.

He was also deeply proud of his family's immigrant heritage. Combining the instincts of both a historian and a detective, he spent countless hours tracing his family's journey from Poland and Ukraine to America, researching his grandfather's arrival through Ellis Island and uncovering the origins of the Malesky name, which he delighted in explaining was likely an Ellis Island adaptation. For Ed, genealogy was more than a hobby—it was a way of honoring the sacrifices of those who came before him and preserving their story for his grandchildren.

Ed possessed a quick wit and loved spirited repartee. Few things delighted him more than a clever comeback or a memorable exchange of words. Whether he emerged victorious or not, he happily retold his favorite verbal duels for years afterward, always with impeccable timing and an infectious smile. He appreciated intelligence, humor, and the simple pleasure of good conversation shared among friends.

Those who knew Ed will remember a man of extraordinary curiosity, steadfast character, and deep compassion. He approached medicine as a calling, learning as a lifelong pursuit, and family as life's greatest blessing. His legacy lives on in the countless patients whose lives he improved, the friends whose lives he enriched, and the family who will forever treasure his wisdom, humor, generosity, and love.

He will be profoundly missed and lovingly remembered.

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Ed's life will be celebrated on August 5th at Seagrove Park in Del Mar, CA. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Ed's name can be made to the Friends of Smiley Library to maintain its collection and encourage his life-long love of reading in others (https://friendsofsmileylibrary.org/defaultsite/donate/).