Lynn O'Malley Kiewel Obituary (2023)

Lynn Frances O’Malley Kiewel, 64, of Chantilly, Virginia, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Monday, May 1, 2023, after courageously fighting cancer and pulmonary fibrosis for the past two and a half years. Services will be held at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, Virginia, on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. Lynn was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, on January 29, 1959, to the late Brendan O’Malley and Mildred (Barlock) O’Malley. Lynn moved to Staten Island, New York, in 1962, and Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in 1965. Lynn graduated from Fair Lawn High School, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in 1977, and The University of Rhode Island, in Kingston, Rhode Island, in 1981. Lynn was a Registered Nurse and worked at Beth Israel Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, Department of Defense Schools, Kitzingen, Germany, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, and Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Health Department, in Chantilly, Virginia. Lynn enjoyed working with children the most, as a nurse in a hospital acute care setting, and as a public health nurse in elementary schools. Lynn always found it rewarding to provide compassionate customized care to younger children, and appreciated whenever they returned to the school clinic to fondly reminisce that her favorite cure for bumps and bruises was a little white ice bear that she always kept at the ready in the clinic refrigerator. Lynn pursued multiple other passions beyond her passion for being a nurse. She was a gifted cook, and an authentic foodie. She hosted many of the family holiday meals. Thanksgiving was perhaps her favorite family holiday. A favorite meal she frequently prepared for our family was her Monday Night Chicken. She was also renowned for her various biscotti recipes; glazed cranberry was my personal favorite. She always prepared Lynnscotti for friends, co-workers, and anyone who showed her kindness, Lynnscotti was her personal thank you card. Lynn always liked to plant a small garden, and had one at home and one at the beach. She got excited every year when the tomatoes turned red. Lynn’s hidden passion for art blossomed during her final two and a half years when she painted personalized seashells for many family, friends, and people she wanted to share her joie de vivre. Lynn was always giving and caring to others. Lynn married Rein Edward Kiewel on April 13, 1985, at West Point, New York. Lynn and Rein met in Kitzingen, Germany, with their first date on September 24, 1983, at Restaurant Drachenburg. They lived in Lewisville, Texas, Framingham, Massachusetts, Paris, France, Oberursel, Germany, and Chantilly, Virginia, living there since October 1994. Lynn is survived by her husband of 38 years, Rein, three sons, Rein Michael, Chantilly, Virginia, Dylan, Portland, Oregon, and “Jack”, Vail, Colorado, one daughter, Kaitlyn Jackson, her husband, Brad Jackson, and two grandchildren, Brielle and Cooper, Bristow, Virginia, her mother, Mildred, Gambrills, Maryland, her two brothers and their wives, Michael and Lisa O’Malley, Centerville, Maryland, and Brendan and Anne O’Malley, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and her brother, Patrick, Gambrills, Maryland. In lieu of flowers or charitable contributions, donations may be made to Giving Back in Honor of Lynn O’Malley Kiewel at https://gofund.me/1aa04c55. Lynn wished for a Commemorative Bench to be installed in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park overlooking the field where the wildflowers bloom, one of her favorite places to walk and sit. Lynn will be missed by all, but her presence will endure in the hearts of everyone privileged to have known her. A quote from Kahlil Gibran that always guided Lynn. Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.