Masel Sheehan Obituary

Name: Memorial service for Masel Sheehan
Start: 2023-05-05T21:00:00.000Z
Location: Campbell United Methodist Church

Masel Birkhead was born in Circleville, Ohio along with her twin sister, Marie, to parents John & Mary Birkhead. She was a proud graduate of Stoutsville High School; Class of '49.Nationwide Insurance was her first employer after graduation and Masel was transferred to their newly opened Annapolis, Maryland office as Secretary to the Chief Claims Adjuster. Annapolis is where she met her future husband, Richard Sheehan, who was stationed at the United States Naval Academy Hospital at the time. They were married in the Naval Academy Chapel on July 27th 1957.The young couple moved to Chicago, Illinois to finish Richard's OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University. Shortly before he graduated their first-born child, James, was born.In 1962 the young family moved West to San José, California to begin a new life. Richard became a practicing physician at the newly built Good Samaritan Hospital. In June of 1963 their daughter, Mary, was born. Masel was a homemaker and nurturing mother to her 2 children for many years and she served on school boards from pre-school to high school including the President of the Del Mar High School Parent Teacher Association. Once both kids went away to college, Masel continued her volunteer achievements. She served 8 years on the Santa Clara County Library Commission, was a member of the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary board and the City of Campbell's Historic Preservation Board, among others.But it was meeting Dorothy Farrington in the early 1980's while she was working at the Junior League in San José that introduced her to the Farrington House. She became the longest serving Board Member and 3-term President of the Farrington Historical Foundation and was considered the "heart & soul" of the Foundation. She retired from the Board in January 2022; later to be named Director Emeritus and was involved in Foundation activities until her death.Masel's passions included tending to her orchid and rose gardens, spoiling her grandchildren (both furry and non-furry) and cheering on her Golden State Warriors.Masel is survived by her husband of 65 years, Richard, of Campbell; son, James, of Campbell; daughter, Mary, of Mountain View; and grandsons, Zachary & Theodore, along with loving family and dear friends both near and far.Memorial service will be held on May 5th 2023 @ 2pm at the Campbell United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Blvd., Campbell, CA with reception to follow.

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Published by Mercury News from Apr. 2 to Apr. 30, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Masel Sheehan

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3 Entries

Long Stem White Rose Bouquet VASE INCLUDED

Judie and John Gaiser

Sent Flowers

Pam Bliss

April 6, 2023

Compared to family and friends who´ve known Masel for most of her life, l, I´m a relative new-comer to Masel´s circle. But I was acquainted with her through something very near and dear to her heart - the historic Kirk-Farrington House. So, I wanted to tell you a little about my friendship with Masel - which started thanks to the Farrington House - and about how much her friendship has meant to me and how it has enriched my life.

I met Masel in the winter of 2009 when I was invited to interview for a job at the Farrington Historical Foundation. The foundation is headquartered in a big Victorian house that sits amid 2 acres of manicured gardens on Dry Creek Road in Willow Glen. Masel had been associated with the house for many years, first as secretary to the San Jose Junior League, which has an office there, and later as a board member of the Farrington Historical Foundation, which owns and caretakes the property.

Walking up the steps of the imposing house for my interview was so thrilling. The home was grand and beautifully maintained. There was so much history there. I rang the bell and the door was quickly answered by a charming little lady with glittering blue eyes and a welcoming smile. I remember vividly what she was wearing-- a raspberry sweater with a high neck collar and a row of pearl buttons running up each sleeve. She looked just like the type of lady who would inhabit such a house. To make a long story short, I got the job managing the house, grounds, and business office of the Foundation - and my friendship with that little lady - the marvelous Mrs. Masel - was about to start.

Through the 14 years I´ve known her, Masel has been my mentor, my guide, and a steadfast friend. When I first started working at Farrington, she introduced me to the house by taking me through every drawer, cupboard, and closet in the House, all the while imparting a lifetime of stories about the objects we discovered, who they had belonged to, and how they fit into the history of the house.

In the upstairs closet, we found the black top hat and gold-tipped cane of Theophilus Kirk, the man who built the house for his bride in 1878. In the pink bathroom we found the sterling silver vanity sets of all the ladies who had lived in the house during its 140-year history. In a bedroom cupboard, we found the green leather cowboy boots and hat worn by Theo Kirk while he worked on the ranch. In the Dog Room, we admired all of the trophies won by Mrs. Farrington´s parents who were breeders of champion show dogs and show chickens. In an upstairs closet we discovered tropical print dresses worn by Dorothy Farrington on her many cruises to Hawaii aboard the Lurline, the famous Matson liner that traveled back and forth between San Francisco and Honolulu, back in the day.

Masel loved telling the stories of all the objects in the house and the people who had lived there. I didn´t realize it the time, but I do now. She was the living historian of the house and she was passing that knowledge on to me.

Masel especially loved telling stories about Dorothy Farrington, the last owner of the Farrington House who left the home and her estate in trust to us. Mrs. Farrington was quite a legend in San Jose, a local philanthropist, preservationist, environmentalist, SF Giants fanatic, and all-around grande dame. Dorothy quickly recognized Masel as a person of strong character and intelligence. Over time, the two women became good friends. As she aged, Mrs. Farrington relied more and more on Masel as someone she could trust with her affairs. It was through her deep friendship with Dorothy Farrington, I know, that Masel became so devoted to preserving the legacy of the Kirk-Farrington home.

Masel and I had so much fun together as we worked on projects that need to be done to run the big historic house. One day we´d be up to our arms in suds, washing lacy draperies by hand in the bathtub. Another day would find us cleaning the crystal chandeliers and polishing silver, and the next day we might be pondering new toilets at Home Depot, and the next day we´d be out in the garden pruning peonies and roses.

Masel was a Farrington board member for 31 years, and served as board president for 3 terms, a total of nine years. For two of those terms as president, she was my boss. I must say, she was an absolutely wonderful boss and I loved working with her. Always protective of the old house, she´d call me almost every morning to check in on "how are things going over there, Pam?" If I had a problem that I couldn´t figure out how to solve, she´d always quickly come up with a very common sense solution. I´d be like "why didn´t I think of that?" On the board, we thought of her as our "Common Sense Compass" and we sure are going to miss her wise counsel. I´d come from a job in corporate America, where it was a struggle to get budget for any project. Not so at Farrington. I´d inform Masel that we had bids of, say, $20,000 to prune all of our big trees or $50,000 to paint the house. She´d listen, nodding, and then say "That sounds reasonable, Pam. Go for it!" It was always easy as that to work for Masel! Most of all, Masel always had my back. She was a true friend to me and I knew I could count on her to be there when I needed her.

Masel was also a little dynamo. She´d race around town in her green Subaru and was busy every minute of the day. She´d often end our morning call with a cheerful "Gotta run" and she´d be off to a Tokalon or Town Club luncheon, followed by a bridge game, then topped off by an evening of culture at the theatre, or a lecture, or a concert - or a drive up to Oakland to watch her sports teams. I swear, at the age of 85, she had more energy than I´d had at 25. I couldn´t keep up with her.

We shared a love of animals, especially dogs. She loved telling stories about Mrs. Farrington´s many "naughty" dogs who apparently always had the run of the Kirk-Farrington House. I supported Masel when she lost her beloved Pongo, and she held me up as I grieved the loss of my Welsh Terrier, Gruffy. She always inquired about my chickens - "how are your girls doing?" she´d ask. "Are they laying yet?"

And then there are the peonies. The Farrington House garden contains a large collection of Chinese Tree peonies, some plants dating back to the 1950s. Dorothy Farrington loved those plants. They are usually at peak bloom in the garden on Mrs. Farrington´s birthday, March 24, so they were very special to her. Today, we baby those plants like you wouldn´t believe. They even have their very own peony expert who comes to San Jose from Oregon every November to prune and fertilize them for the winter. Masel loved the peonies, not only for their delicate beauty but also I think because they reminded her of her dear friend Dorothy. This spring, the peonies had just started to bloom when it became clear that Masel was near the end of her life. The last time I visited Masel, I took her a bouquet of peony flowers. Her eyes lit up when she saw them. She asked me to put them on the dresser so she could see them from her bed. I was so glad that she got to enjoy them one more time before she passed on.

Masel welcomed me into her home more times than I can count where I became acquainted with her wonderful family Dick, Jim, Mary, Janet, Zack, and Theo. I was always treated like family there. Every time I´d take a trip, I`d always bring back a little souvenir for Masel - like a handblown heart ornament from Mexico, a hand-painted Russian tea doll, a tiny wooly elf from Iceland. I was so touched to see these trinkets displayed throughout her living room and family room -- even the little Christmas houses I made for her - she left them out all year. She said she loved looking at them.

About a year ago, Masel gifted me the silver necklace that had belonged to Dorothy Farrington. Masel said that it was Dorothy´s favorite and that she wore it all the time. Masel wanted me to have it. I will wear that necklace to Masel´s memorial service so that a piece of Masel´s dear Mrs. Farrington will be there with the rest of us to say good-bye. And I am sure that Mrs. Farrington is waiting on the other side with arms open wide - to welcome Masel home.

Valerie Tingley

April 3, 2023

I will always cherish the times I shared with Masel while serving on the Farrington Historical Foundation Board. She was the heart and soul of everything that she put her mind to and I learned so much from her. I know that I am better for having had her in my life.

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