Katy Kolodziejski

1922 - 2017

October 18, 1922 - June 20, 2017 Dr. Katherine "Katy" Kolodziejski passed away on June 20, 2017 in her home at the Belmont Retirement Village in Westwood, California. Katy was born in October 18, 1922, at Hayden Hill, California, to her parents Leora Anderson and Carvil Marlett. Once the gold ran out so did her father. Her mother, who was a pioneer woman through and through remarried. Eventually Katy was the 3rd of 7 siblings, and although they had a different father, they were a close knit family. Katy grew up in various parts of Nevada, graduating from Reno High School and going to college at the University of Nevada, Reno. She found her calling when working as a psychiatric nurse at the Auburn VA. Her passion to help people led her to USC and a Master's degree in Social Work. Like so many post-war women she was looking for something more than a husband. During this time she met the love of her life Richard "Dick" Kolodziejski at USC. He was a soldier returning from the Pacific Theater and attending USC on the GI Bill. Their marriage was to last 35 years and produce two sons: Dan and Kip. Their love was based on mutual respect and a willingness to support one another. They raised their family in Playa del Rey and she made lifetime friendships with her neighbors. Katy's career spanned 5 decades and was dominated by her association with UCLA. She spent 35 years on the faculty of the School of Social Work and later was a volunteer with the Ombudsman office of UCLA. In between these years she held a private practice, ran a drug rehabilitation facility and a sexual addiction facility and worked in various capacities for organizations like Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. She was instrumental in the founding of the Airport Marina Counseling Services and participated with this organization until her final days. She was frequently in professional journals. She won numerous awards. But if you had to pick one she was proudest of, it would be her Ph.D. from the California Institute for Clinical Social Work. Her doctorate validated a life spent bucking trends for women. In addition to her family, friends and educational pursuits, Katy loved the West. She traveled the world, skied and swam, played tennis and enjoyed people watching. As she aged she still traveled and loved her four grand kids Kai, Kip, Camille and Hayden. And later she loved her friends and family, views, books and her garden. Katy was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Dean Marlett and Carl Little and her sister Ardeen Herr. She was survived by her loving family of Jack and Ken Little and Shirley Hagman, her sons, their wives Arlene and Jeanne and her grandkids, now all adults. Included in this family are the multitude of people she touched by her teaching career at UCLA, her social work profession, her charitable work and her loving spirit. In lieu of flowers, or if the spirit moves, the family suggests a donation contributing to any of the great charities she aided or you appreciate. You could google them but Katy hated the google. A memorial gathering is planned in her honor. It will be July 29th at 2pm at the Belmont Village Westwood. Family and friends are invited.