Adele Cullinane

Adele Louise Cullinane
Aug. 3, 1929 – May 4, 2021
Resident of Oakland
Adele Louise Cullinane (nee Tapley) passed away peacefully and most beautifully at the breakfast table anticipating a full day of reading the Chronicle headlines, watching the Golden Girls and visiting with her granddaughter and family who live with her. She grew up an only child in Oakland surrounded by her loving parents and extended maternal family. During the Depression, they made sure little Delouise always had butter on her bread (despite wanting margarine like the other kids). She attended Hawthorne Elementary, Frick Jr. High and Fremont High School and spent summers traveling to Yosemite and Santa Cruz with her mother who was also her best friend. She met her future husband, Ed when he accompanied a friend to the 18th birthday party her parents gave at Roberts at the Beach. Ed, 11 years her senior, thought she was just a young girl but three years later, realizing she was now a mature 21, called her up on a whim. They were together until his death in 2015. She received a Secretarial Certificate from SF City College and worked for several years but then devoted her time to running a household and raising three children. And later on, going out to lunch with friends (her favorite pastime), volunteering at Children's Hospital's thrift store, traveling less than she'd like (since Ed ran his own business until he was 92), and continuing to host lively dinners and parties until late in life. Always one who liked to dress up and go out, Adele was content to be home during the pandemic. Her last outing was to Fentons for a vanilla milkshake to go, her last social event was a tea party the afternoon before her death with her granddaughters and great granddaughter. Family meant everything to her.

She is survived by her three children, Terry Cullinane (Steven Murray), Nancy Cullinane (Ernie Selig) and Dan Cullinane, four grandchildren, Makenna Murray (Zach Hoffman), Larkin Murray, Lukas Selig and Mari Selig and one great-granddaughter, Audrey Hoffman plus her loving caregiver, Lima Tupou.

A funeral mass will be held on May 26th at 10am at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Oakland, followed by a reception and private entombment at Cathedral of Christ the Light Mausoleum. Visitation will be from 5pm to 8pm at Sorensen Chapel in Hayward on the 25th.

The family wants to recognize and thank the Over 60 Clinic in Berkeley for the exceptional medical care they provided Ed and Del for over 15 years. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Graham Fund at Lifelongmedical.org.