Our beloved bright spirit, Nancy Maltrud, passed on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. She was at home, surrounded and lifted up by her loving family while in hospice care soon after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Affectionately known as “Nan,” she was born in Germantown, PA, and grew up in Merchantville, NJ, and Baltimore, MD. She was the daughter of Solveig Singdahlsen and Harold Steel. Nancy was the middle child in her family between elder sister Joan and younger brother Harold Jr.
Following high school, Nancy attended nursing school in Baltimore and soon after graduating she headed west to Denver, CO with an adventurous group of nursing girlfriends. She moved to Los Alamos in 1956 and began working at Los Alamos Medical Center. Her nursing career included more than two decades working for Dr. Richard Honsinger. Nancy spent over 20 years as an award-winning hospice volunteer with Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service (LAVNS).
Nancy met her husband of 63 years, Herman Richard Maltrud from Ada, MN, on a blind date at Bandelier in June 1957. They married later that year, on November 8th, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Los Alamos. Nancy and Richard had five children: Kristine, Steven, Mathew and twins Ingrid and Kari (who died of a heart defect at 16 months old). She and Richard deeply loved and cherished their three grandchildren, Sarah, Karin and Lars.
Nancy’s long, love-filled life in Los Alamos overflowed with friendships and was enriched by her giving to her community. She was involved in her bridge club, book club, hiking group, and ladies luncheon club, as well as the community of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. She continued to make new friends throughout her life and was cherished by her diverse network of friends. In her later years, Nancy especially valued the time with her grandchildren. She spent time traveling, visiting and chatting with granddaughters Sarah and Karin. She and her grandson Lars enjoyed a yearly tradition of making a krumkake (a Norwegian Christmas cookie) and they regularly played card games and Monopoly.
Nan loved to travel. After nursing school, she took her first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to visit family in Norway aboard the same ship her mother had taken when emigrating to the US in the early 1900s. Over the years, her travel highlights included trips with family to Guatemala, Belize, Hungary, Germany, Italy, France, plus fulfilling a life-long dream to visit New Zealand where she swam with dolphins! Nan made several excursions to Europe and the Middle East with friends and she also visited a nursing friend’s health clinic in Costa Rica.
She and Richard hiked and cross country skied throughout the Southwest. Starting in the early 1960s, every summer they enjoyed a couple weeks at the Aspen Music Festival listening to music under the stars, hiking, and visiting with friends and family. They were Santa Fe Opera patrons for over 35 years and also frequently attended concerts by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Sangre de Cristo Chorale, Concordia Santa Fe, and the Los Alamos Concert Association.
Nan was a dear friend to many, maintaining steadfast friendships for decades. Her graciousness and generosity were often expressed through her special talent for hosting parties, lunches and dinners for friends and family on her lovely deck overlooking the canyon and the Jemez mountains. We will always remember and share in Nan’s love of a good time be it sipping white wine, eating chocolate, reading good books, watching movies or enjoying the spirit of the Christmas season.
Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Herman Richard Maltrud, on July 23, 2021. She is survived by her sister, Joan Barry of Abingdon, MD, and brother Harold Steel and his wife Connie of Tampa, FL; daughter Kristine Maltrud and husband Charles Jaeger of Albuquerque, NM; son Steven Maltrud and wife Helen Maurine of Littleton, CO; son Mathew Maltrud and wife Kris Winterowd of Santa Fe, NM; daughter Ingrid Maltrud of Healdsburg, CA; and her beloved grandchildren Sarah Maltrud and fiancé Thadeaous Mighell of Denver, CO, Karin Maltrud of Denver, CO, and Lars Maltrud of Santa Fe, NM.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Los Alamos on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at 2 p.m.
Nancy was a generous supporter of numerous charitable organizations focused on women’s rights, healthcare, nature and the arts. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her name to similar charities or to the LAVNS.