Mala Nelson Barnes, 65, a Northland resident of Kansas City, MO passed away peacefully at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, June 2, 2022. At the time of her passing, she was a patient at the NorthCare Hospice House.
Mala graduated from San Benito High School, Hollister, CA, in 1974. She received a BS in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising with Magazine Concentration from the University of Kansas in 1978. Upon graduation she worked at Slushboomer, and Milgram Food Stores, Kansas City, MO and for Lever Brothers, CO, Wichita, KS, before joining The Hershey Company, working in the Greater Kansas City area. She retired from The Hershey Company in October 2021 after 38 years.
Mala enjoyed an active life, hunting and fishing, scuba diving and traveling. These activities took her from Alaska, Australia, China, Mexico and numerous islands throughout the Caribbean. She was a loving Aunt, enjoying holidays with family and her extended families of friends, attending graduations and weddings across the county.
She is survived by her brother, David Nelson (Lynn) of Venice, FL, sister Marla (Randall) Smith, Bonita Springs, FL; sister-in-law, Elaine Nelson, Naples, FL; three nephews, Marcus and Erik Nelson, Illinois, Bryant Smith, Virginia, and niece Brittany Smith, Minnesota; and six great nephews and nieces. She was proceeded In death by her parents, Eugene K. and MaryMadge Nelson; and brother Douglas Nelson.
Her family will receive family and friends from 2:00 – 2:30 pm, Friday, June 17, 2022 at Meyers Northland Chapel 401 Main Street, Parkville, MO. A funeral service celebrating Mala’s life will commence at 2:30 pm. A private family casting ceremony of ashes will be held in Florida, per her wishes. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Saint Luke’s Foundation. In Memory of Mala Barnes on check memo line. For those that wish to make an online donation: Please use “Chrome” and Go to http://saintlukesgiving.givevirtuous.org/Donate. Under Gift Designation type in Knootz Center Retreat. Under Tribute type in Mala Barnes.
To the family and Marla it is often hard to find the right words at a time like this. May you find peace, comfort, and all the love you need in the days to come.
Mala: For all those special memories my Freind. I am heartbroken. I know heaven has a sweet angel and you will enjoy peace. Until we meet again I wait for you to welcome me.
I will miss our Friday’s
Live always
Rest in Peace my friend. I am sorry you had to leave so soon. Thanks for always being so kind and so much fun when we were in school.
It is with a sad heart I write this to Mala’s family . We send love & support to each of you.
Mala, We loved you, and miss you.
May you rest in peace my friend
I will always cherish the conversations, lunches, dinners and Chiefs games at my house with Mala. She was a good friend that took the time to listen. My condolences to Marla and the rest of the family. Mala was sure loved.
Mala,our friendship goes back to when we became friends in Hollister,California. I’ve known you since you were in 8th grade.. I am deeply saddened by your passing.
I am so sorry for your loss. Mala was always the life of the party. Always smiling and upbeat. We worked in many area grocery stores. She had a story to tell each time we met about her travels and scuba diving excursions. She will be missed. She will always be our queen of candy! RIP Mala.
My heartfelt condolences to all of Mala’s family. She loved her family. I have shared great times with Mala and the Milgram gang. She was a great friend and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
Mala you will be missed. My family Harry Mercy & us kids loved you. You were an awesome lady & friend. God bless us with you coming into our lifes. The Gulley Family
Dear Mala,
I will always remember your bright smile, kindness to everyone, and your goofy sense of humor. You made a difference! Rest In Peace and know you will be greatly missed! Until we meet again,
Annette Ghezzi
Mala,
I can’t thank you enough for mentoring me when I started my career with Hershey. You always made time for me no matter how much I didn’t have a clue and you kept in touch even after I moved away from Kansas City. You really cared about all of us that you helped along the way.
You were a legend and you will be missed.
Mala, it saddened me that you are gone so soon. I was hoping we could see the Olympic forest together. Hugs and prayers to your family my beautiful friend. I will miss you.
Susan Butterfield Scrivner.
Mike and I are so very sorry to hear this. They worked together at Hershey. Recently retired and ready to enjoy life….heartbreaking. Thinking of all of Mala’s family and friends.
Met Mala on a trip to Belize in 2018, thoroughly enjoyed her company on that trip. Deepest condolences to her family and all who loved her
So sorry for your loss. Mala and I worked together at numerous stores in the KC area,she was always the life of the party and we couldn’t wait to hear of her latest escapade! She will be missed !
Mala, you will be missed.- your zest for life and your travels. We’ve been to US Virgin Is., Mexico, Belize, China, Costa Rica. We planned of more but your life’s itinerary took a different turn. You will always have that one travel spot reserved. Thank you for being there and the good memories – happy hour, coffee time, etc.
I am so sorry for your loss, I knew Mala from Milgrams and then after she joined Hershey, she was always so warm and friendly and such a joy to be around.. I loved running into her at Piropos for happy hour, you will be missed my friend
Mala, Thank you for allowing me the opportunity for the last two years to witness your life and to assist when possible. I will miss our dinner conversations, the trips we enjoyed, Saturday morning at the Farmers Market, playing cards, and more. Rest in peace, my friend.
She was such a good person and fun to be around. She would come down and watch Midsomer Murders on Netflex. We would talk a little and then she would go home. I am missing her. God bless your family and bring you comfort.
My heart felt condolences. May you Rest In Peace. Gone too soon. Lovely person.
Mala – you are so missed by so many. You had to leave us much too soon!! I always enjoyed the time we spent together at the many wineries, girls weekend trips, Chaz Jazz Nights, phone conversations, etc. May God bless your family and all your many friends. We love you. 😘😘
I was truly sorry to hear that Mala lost her battle. I enjoyed the time I spent with her and so sorry she had to go so young. May she rest in peace
Mala, I always loved seeing her beautiful smile and laugh from junior high thru high school. Since reconnecting on Facebook I have loved reading about all your adventures. Heaven gained another angel. You have left an imprint where you went. Rest In Peace dear lady.
There are two memories of my cousin Mala which I treasure. The first is when I visited with her at our Grandmother Nelson’s apartment in Kansas City many years ago when she must have been just out of college and working in the Kansas City area. She was a very warm and engaging young lady with lots of confidence. The second memory was just a few years ago when we shared a dinner with my brothers and sister during a mini-family reunion. She was able to shed some light on the history of the Nelson family which was new to us and it made our reunion much more interesting. A real bright spot for all those who knew her!
Mala, Rest In Peace. We will miss you but we will meet again. You will live on in our hearts until then. My condolences to the family as you heal.
Mala, I will miss you so much..I was your hair stylist since we were much younger.knew everything about each other and so enjoyed our friendship. You were a great friend to many. You will be missed..we had so many fun times. Love you
Mala will be missed by many. The Ladies of Hershey gatherings won’t be the same without her. Mala was independent, strong, and adventurous. It was an honor to have gotten to be her coworker and friend. Mala listened, observed, and problem solved. She also gave the best hugs. It’s only fitting she worked for the company producing “Hugs and Kisses”.
Mala was a wonderful lady. I had the pleasure of working many HyVee shows with her in Des Moines while working for the Hershey Company, where she certainly left a legacy. She was an incredible sales rep, person and friend and she will be missed. My condolences go out to the family.
To Mala’s family, my prayers and thoughts are with you.
Mala, Thank you so much for all the times we shared. Having you as a friend was such a blessing. I will especially miss our dinners at P’s. Rest Well and I will “catch you later”