Christopher William Malcomb died peacefully on Aug. 18, 2017, at the age of 47 in the care of his mother, Connie, at her home.
He is survived by his parents, Connie Malcomb of Westminster, MA and Fred Malcomb of Lunenburg, MA and by his brother Andrew Malcomb and nephew Lachlan Duffy-Malcomb, as well as many other close relatives.
Christopher was born in Weymouth, Mass. on Aug. 6, 1970. As a boy, his family traveled and lived abroad, and ultimately they settled in central Massachusetts. He attended Oakmont Regional High School in Ashburnham, MA and graduated Valedictorian of his class in 1988. In 1991, he was awarded a BA from Colby College in Waterville, ME and earned an MA in Education from Lesley University/Shady Hill in Cambridge, MA in 1997.
In 1997, Chris moved to Berkeley, where he taught 6th grade at Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito for eight years. He volunteered as a writing instructor at San Quentin’s Prison University Program from 2004-2006. In 2009, he earned an MA in Creative Writing from USF, and went on to establish “The Mindful Writer,” which became a platform from which to teach the practice of creative non-fiction writing and mindfulness, as well as to share his passion for tea, and also to showcase his portfolio of written work. He published a number of pieces in various publications and anthologies, including the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Under the Sun, and The Cassoulet Saved our Marriage. He had just gotten his first book deal with Parallax Press to write about the intersection of mindfulness and creative writing; sadly, he was unable to complete this project due to his illness.
The Bay Area is where Chris felt most at home. Over the course of two decades, through his teaching and his writing, as well as through his passions for tea, Buddhism, and sports, he built around him and became an integral part of a diverse and colorful community of peers, colleagues, students and their families. He cared deeply about the well-being of all, and he thrived in making and maintaining long-lasting connections with the people whom he loved, and who loved him, so much. In truth, he is not only survived by his immediate family, but also by the many people that he cared so much about.
There will be a memorial gathering to honor his memory on October 14th at Prospect Sierra Middle School, 960 Avis Dr. in El Cerrito, CA between 1 and 5 pm.
His family will be setting up a charitable fund in his name to support an aspiring creative writer. More information about this can be found at the memorial gathering.
