Ann Borg

Ann Marie (McGee) Borg -- beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, and fun-loving friend to many -- passed away peacefully Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 in Concord, CA. She was 95 years old.

Born on Dec. 7, 1930, and raised in Seattle, WA, Ann overcame early loss and adversity to forge a rich life, embodied by lifelong friendships, an enduring marriage, lots of kids, and an unending sense of faith, fun, and adventure.

Ann's 11th birthday party in 1941 was cancelled after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a fateful event that changed the course of history and launched the U.S. into World War 2.

An only child, Ann was just 16 when she lost her mother, Theresa (Gallagher) McGee, to illness. While grieving, Ann dutifully took on responsibilities well beyond typical high schoolers -- cooking, cleaning, laundry, paying bills -- to help her widowed father, Daniel McGee, manage the household. A wiry longshoreman with a heavy Irish brogue, Dan was born into a family of 12 children in Donegal, Ireland. He immigrated to Seattle in 1904, assimilating into the Irish-Catholic culture that largely shaped Ann's sensibilities.

Ann attended parochial elementary and middle schools, where she established friendships with a group of 7 girls that lasted through their golden years. After college, as married women and mothers navigating adult challenges in often turbulent times, they supported each other through frequent letters, phone calls, joint travel, and reunion visits. The amusing and sometimes bittersweet recollections of their youthful War Years together in Seattle were chronicled in a memory journal, jointly written by the group, in the early 2000s.

Ann graduated from Seattle University in 1953. It was there that she met her husband, Joseph Borg, when they were both student teachers. The couple married in Seattle on March 19, 1955, while Joe was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Ann adopted the "Borg" surname, but her husband and old friends often referred to her simply as "McGee".

Ann and Joe left Seattle and moved to Concord in the late 1950s, to pursue careers as elementary school teachers in sunny California. After starting a family, Ann transitioned to stay-at-home mother, which proved to be more than a fulltime job. She gave birth to 2 girls and 5 boys in an 8-year span. The family of 9 occupied a 4-bedroom home on Ann Street.

Ever social and friendly, Ann established an enduring group of close friends in Concord and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, sharing a range of interests and activities, many related to faith, parenthood, recreation and volunteer work.

Ann and Joe managed a hectic household on a tight budget, orchestrated memorable family activities, juggled schedules and supported the varied interests of all seven children.

The "Borg nine" frequently piled into the family wagon or VW bus to explore unique destinations and experiences that the Bay Area of the 1960s and 1970s had to offer. The family drove to Seattle every few summers to spend time with old friends, dear cousins, and Joe's older brother and his wife, Woody & Rena, and their five children. Ann was very close to her mother's brother, Frank Gallagher, a prominent tax attorney in San Francisco, who moved down the street in his later years and was a fixture at Sunday dinners and family events.

As the kids got older, Ann began a second career, assisting taxpayers as a representative of U.S. Treasury Dept., in downtown Oakland, CA. During down time, she began to take water aerobics classes, and for fun, was known to occasionally dress as a clown, with her zany friend, Zip, a professional jester.

Ann loved to sit in the sun, visit the ocean, and swim. She was good with numbers and excelled at low stakes card games, keno and bingo. Always attentive to the latest news and cultural trends, she enjoyed movies and was an avid reader of daily newspapers, magazines, fiction, history, and poetry -- with a peculiar penchant for low-brow true crime books. She kept track of all important dates and milestones of loved ones, and celebrated them with thoughtful, hand-written cards and letters delivered via U.S. Mail.

Ann and Joe pioneered "van life" decades before it became social media cool. They drove and camped all over California, and throughout dozens of U.S. states, in a Toyota Dolphin motorhome. They also travelled abroad -- connecting with relatives in Ireland and Malta, and exploring Canada, Mexico, Europe, and sacred places in Israel and Palestine, among other destinations.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ann and Joe were active in Marriage Encounter, a faith-based program to help spouses strengthen their relationships. They led weekend retreats, counseled other couples, and established many enduring friendships.

When Joe passed away in 2006, they had been married 51 years. Ann spent the last few of those years as Joe's primary fulltime caregiver, after a series of strokes diminished his mobility and ability to care for himself. Despite his health challenges, Ann made sure her dear husband was always comfortable, engaged, and the center of gatherings and activities.

Ann faced her own health issues over the years, including a serious back injury, heart problems, breast cancer, arthritis, stomach ailments, and more. She endured it all with fortitude, self-advocacy and a conscientious personal care regime.

Ann was still quite sharp and witty -- although immobile and fragile -- until the end. Her 95th birthday party in December was a delight, and she enjoyed a final Christmas season with calls and visits from many loved ones. Just eight days before her passing, a wheelchair-bound Ann attended the baptism of two great-grand daughters at Queen of All Saints, the Catholic Church she had attended for more than 60 years, where she was treasured as a devoted parishioner, volunteer and pastoral worker who was always ready to lend a hand.

Ann is survived by her children and their spouses: Mary and Mario Lavagnino of Dublin, CA; Ed and Brandy Borg of Lakeport, CA; Joan and Cliff Sittman of Leavenworth, WA; John and Chris Borg of Bolinas, CA; Joseph Borg and Heidi Halberg of Folsom, CA; Peter and Dorothy Borg of Concord, CA; Christopher and Ida Borg of San Francisco, CA -- as well 10 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, and dozens of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

A mass and burial will be held at St. Mary Magdalene Church and Cemetery in Bolinas, on Jan. 22, 2026, at 11:30 am. Ann will be buried next to Joe, beneath towering cypress trees and close to the ocean that she so enjoyed. Donations can be made to St. Vincent DePaul Society, care of Queen of All Saints Church in Concord. Ouimet Bros. Chapel (925) 682-4242.