It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Ronald Allen Malnar of Sun City West, AZ — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
Below, a small portrait of a life that will not soon be forgotten.
We measure lives in love, not minutes.
On Monday, May 4th, 2026, Ronald Allen Malnar, loving husband and father of three children, passed away at the age of 82. Ron was born in Chicago on leap year, February 29, 1944, so he liked to claim that he was only 20 years old. He married his best friend, Donna Kay Malnar, on October 5th, 1968, who preceded him in death just 10 months ago. They raised three children together: Cindy Malnar (Mary McNaught), Sherry Curtis (Tom Curtis) and Ronald Malnar, Jr. (Kimberly Malnar). He spent 30+ years working as a Network Engineer for what eventually became AT&T, braving rough weather conditions but never failing to proudly deliver that paycheck to his family every other Friday. After retiring, he and Donna moved to the Sun City Arizona area and spent nearly 30 years enjoying the sunshine.
To say Ron was a character is an understatement. When he first was rolled into his care facility, he immediately asked the staff where the bar was, which was twice as funny because he didn't drink. He was a pioneer of "dad jokes" and liked to revisit the oldies with more frequency than his kids enjoyed. He loved fishing, but more than that, he loved the IDEA of fishing, as evidenced by a garage brimming with unused fishing gear and issues of Field and Stream dating back decades. A famously picky eater, he enjoyed his wife's cooking over anything else, passionately resisting "all this hippie organic food", and had a massive sweet tooth, eating his own weight in ice cream, jellybeans and gummy bears every month.
In addition to his children, Ron is survived by five grandchildren (Amanda Farmer, Ronnie Nitz, Brooke Malnar, Brandi Malnar and Sam Wlezien) and four great-grandchildren (Tatum Tomczak, Jordyn Tomczak, Harper Nitz and Hazel Nitz), all of whom he loved dearly. As he would frequently remind them, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I do, but don't get excited, I love monkeys too!"
Services will be held at Camino del Sol Funeral Home (13738 W Camino del Sol, Sun City West, AZ 85375) on Monday, May 11th, at 9:00 am.
To send flowers in Ron's honor, orders can be made directly from Ron's obituary on the Camino Del Sol website.
