Barbara Milligan

1927 - 2021

Barbara Working Milligan
7 June 1927 - 14 April 2021
Resident of Portola Valley
Barbara (Buffy) Milligan passed away peacefully on April 14 in Portola Valley, California. She was 93 years old.
Barbara was born in Palo Alto, California to Holbrook and Helen (Rider) Working. She grew up on the Stanford campus, where her father was a professor of agricultural economics and statistics, and her mother was active in the community. Barbara attended Stanford and graduated with a B.A. in Social Sciences in 1949.
Barbara met her husband, Richard (Dick) Milligan on a two-week canoeing expedition to Minnesota and Ontario. They married in the Stanford Chapel, and ultimately settled in Palo Alto. In 2002, Barbara relocated to The Sequoias in Portola Valley, California, where she found a wonderful community of engaging residents.
Barbara and Dick had three children, Brook, Lyle, and Cathlin. Highly motivated as ever, Barbara returned to school with the objective of becoming a School Psychologist, and graduated from San Jose State University in 1968, with a credential in School Psychology and an M.A. in Psychology. She worked at the Union School District in San Jose until she retired in 1992.
Barbara devoted her life to her family; she created an immensely supportive environment in which to grow, and cared for her husband's special needs late in life. She cared deeply for her extended family, often having life-changing impact. When her grandchildren were 10ish, she took them on adventures to Alaska and Canada, introducing them to parts of the world they had never seen and teaching them self-reliance, exploration, and the value of family connections.
Throughout her life, Barbara was passionate about her experiences outdoors and instilled that love in her family. With her husband Dick, she led Sierra Club Wilderness Threshold Trips, introducing many other families to these same passions. Canoeing was a particular favorite of Barbara's, and her family was often found packed together in their own canoe.
Traveling was an important element of Barbara's later life. Although she traveled all over the United States and Europe, she was attracted to culturally and environmentally novel experiences. One trip, for example, took her to Bhutan, others to Africa and Greenland, and a fourth to Moscow and across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Barbara is survived by her brother John Working, son Brook Milligan (Katy), daughters Lyle Wilen (Jim) and Cathlin Milligan (Gregg Kleiner), granddaughters Megan Milligan, Anna Wilen, Helena Kleiner, and Elyssa Kleiner, and grandsons Chris Wilen and Andrew Milligan. Barbara's husband Dick and sister Betty Swift preceded her in death.
Barbara has suggested that gifts in her memory be directed to the Sempervirens Fund at: sempervirens.org/BWM


View the online memorial for Barbara Working Milligan