Kendra Malone

Kendra Malone, 79, of Topeka, went home to the Lord on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. She was born April 4, 1947, on a farm near Cheney, Kansas, the daughter of Walter and Wilma (Uppendahl) Brandes.

Kendra graduated from Cheney High School and earned an Associate Degree from St. John’s College in Winfield, Kansas. After serving two years as a parish worker in New York City, she returned to Kansas to marry her college sweetheart, Walt Malone, on November 28, 1969. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where they lived for twenty years before returning to Kansas.

If ever there was one who loved and cared for 'the least of these', it was Kendra. She had a kind word or a kind deed for every person who ever crossed her path. She was the heart and anchor of her family, quietly showing up every time someone needed her. She gave so much of herself. Even in her final days, she was making sure everyone around her was ok.

Kendra had a particular love and talent for working with small children, owning and operating an in-home day care center in Pueblo and later in Topeka working for Topeka Lutheran School and their Center for Young Children well past the age when she could have retired, purely because she enjoyed it so much. She could scarcely go out in public without running into one of the children whose life she had touched over the years. She poured her love most especially into her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom adored her and will miss her deeply.

Kendra’s other passion was gardening. She was a member of her local garden club. Her garden was her happy place, and you were likely to find her there on any given day from early spring through late fall. Even as her health declined, she spent as much time outdoors as she could. Her little corner of heaven is surely the most beautiful garden.

A woman of deep faith, she was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church, where she served on the altar guild. She was also a longtime member of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and Beta Sigma Phi sorority.

Kendra is survived by her husband, Walt, her children, Shawn, Heather, and Nicole, and her brother, Glenn Brandes, as well as eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her son-in-law, Harvey Sutton.

A celebration of Kendra's life in Topeka will be announced shortly. Private inurnment in Cheney will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be given to Topeka Rescue Mission, 600 N Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS 66608 or to Christ Lutheran Church, 3509 SW Burlingame Rd, Topeka, KS 66611.

Dove Southeast Chapel, 2843 SE Minnesota Ave. is assisting the family with service arrangements.

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