Maureen O'Malley

Maureen O'Malley died peacefully on Wednesday; September 16th surrounded by her beloved family. Maureen led a remarkable life cut short by a battle with non-smokers lung cancer. She excelled in not one but two distinguished careers. More importantly to her, she enjoyed the love of her husband, two wonderful daughters, a large extended family and many friends. She will be dearly missed. Maureen was born on December 2nd, 1953 in Passaic, New Jersey; the eldest of five children to Robert and Rosemary OMalley. Maureen always wanted to help others, so from an early age, she aspired to be a nurse. She graduated from William Paterson University with a B.S. in Nursing in 1976. Upon her graduation Maureen joined the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant and had several postings around the world. As a flight nurse she was stationed in the Philippines where she met her future husband Michael K. Nave. After they were married, they were stationed in Southern California where Maureen obtained a master's degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. Upon leaving active duty both Maureen and Mike relocated to Boston where Mike pursued a law degree and Maureen worked for a major consulting firm as a healthcare consultant. After Mike obtained his law degree they relocated to Seattle where Maureen continued to work in healthcare consulting. While in Seattle their two beautiful daughters were born: first Barbara, and then Theresa. For all of Maureens career accomplishments, none meant as much to her as the joy of being a wife and mother. Shortly after the birth of Barbara, Maureen was recalled to active duty and deployed to England for several months, as a part of the Desert Storm campaign in 1991. When Mike's work brought him up to Anchorage, Maureen followed and discovered her passion for teaching, joining the faculty of the School of Nursing of the University of Alaska at Anchorage. Maureen remained in the Air Force Reserves at Elmendorf Air Force Base. She also began the pursuit of a doctorate in Nursing from Rush University in Chicago. Professor - U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer - Doctoral student - Mother: it is hard to overstate Maureen's work ethic, and that she excelled in all these roles. Maureen eventually obtained her Ph.D. in nursing and was elevated to a full professor at the University and assistant department head of the School of Nursing. Maureen also was highly active in the Western Institute of Nursing, which promotes health through nursing education, research, and promulgation of best practices. Maureen mentored countless nursing students over the course of her career, and she leaves a legacy of excellence and a passion for the profession. In addition, after over 25 years of both active and reserve duty, Maureen retired as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserves-- a remarkable achievement. Maureen was devoted to her family and each year she took her daughters back to the East Coast to meet with her large extended family and dear friends. These visits were cherished by all. She is survived by her husband Mike Nave, daughters Barbara and Theresa Nave, brothers Robert and Paul OMalley, sisters Roseann OMalley Stichnoth and Jane OMalley Testa, many nieces, nephews, cousins and relatives by marriage, all of whom she valued and thought about often. Maureen will always be remembered for her wonderful personality which always saw the good in others and brought out the best in each of us. She was simply a delightful person to be around. She leaves behind countless wonderful memories and will be greatly missed. A funeral mass celebrating Maureens life will be held on Wednesday, September 23 at 1:00 p.m. Alaska time at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church (2901 Huffman Rd., Anchorage, AK 99516) Virtual Mass: Same day/time, streamed via Facebook live through the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish - Anchorage, Alaska page. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following: Western Institute of Nursing (WIN): https://www.winursing.org/donate/ University of Alaska Nursing Scholarship Fund: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/school-of-nursing/about/nursing-scholarship.cshtml