Barbara Conahan

1947 - 2024

Barbara Conahan
09/08/1947 - 03/12/2024
Barbara Jeanne Conahan passed away on March 12, 2024 at the age of 76, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter and enduring friendships.
Barb was born in Syracuse, NY on September 8, 1947, the second of two children to Robert and Bernice (Robertson) Conahan. As a young girl, she attended St. John the Baptist Academy from K-12; however, Barb preferred to put her energy into her relationships with friends rather than focusing on her academics. She often skipped school to join her gregarious father and lumber salesman as he drove to visit lumberyards throughout upstate New York. It was after Barb and her classmates were encouraged by a seminarian priest to visit old age homes and volunteer in hospitals that she found her calling as a nurse.
Barb completed her initial nursing education and clinical experience at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. However, Barb's curiosity and spirit of adventure led her to eventually take a break from patient care and hitch-hike with a girlfriend throughout continental Europe and the British Isles. When she and her friend were low on money in Amsterdam, they took jobs working as cooks on a houseboat.
Barb accepted an invitation to visit San Francisco from friends who had moved to the City, and she never left. She enrolled at San Francisco State to complete her Bachelor of Science degree and worked at nearly all of the City hospitals via the nurse registry. The UCSF School of Nursing recognized Barb's people skills and clinical expertise talents by hiring her as a mentor for new nursing students.
Barb met her life partner Scott in 1974 when one of her friends asked to join a game of co-ed soccer in Golden Gate Park Children's Playground. Scott was immediately attracted to Barb's smile and beauty, while Barb admitted that she was, at least initially, attracted to the homemade ice cream that Scott made after each game.
Barb and Scott successfully maintained a long-distance relationship while Scott completed a multi-year engineering assignment in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They were married on January 6, 1979 in Syracuse while Scott was enroute back to Brazil from a visit to San Francisco.
Barb returned to UCSF to obtain her Adult Nurse Practitioner certification that eventually led to a joyful and fulfilling 28-year career as a nurse practitioner at the City College of San Francisco's Student Health Center. Barb loved treating students, many of them uninsured, as their primary care provider, and she treasured the comradery with her nursing colleagues.
Barb also excelled at motherhood while raising her daughter, Molly. Barb was the foundation of the family and always made even the smallest of celebrations memorable. Whether it was serving as room parent, encouraging her daughter's interest in math and science, or cheering loudly at a swim meet, she was always involved and present. Her love of mothering extended beyond just Molly as Barb regularly drove a carpool of Molly's friends and cared for them whenever they were sick or injured.
Barb enjoyed poetry, writing haikus, nature, weekly Bay Area hikes with friends, bicycling, and identifying birds through the back kitchen window. However, Barb felt most fulfilled while spending time with Scott, Molly, her son-in-law John, and her grandkids Brandon and Chelsea.
After declining aggressive treatment for Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosed in late November 2023, Barb made the courageous decision to opt for Medical Aid In Dying under the California End of Life Option Act. She remained pain-free, mobile, and enjoyed visiting with family and friends to the very end. Barb died peacefully surrounded by Scott, Molly, her doula, and her faithful cats Nezzie and Patch.
Barb was an inspiration and role model to all who knew her, and her life was a testament to the beauty of giving, teaching, and loving unconditionally. She will be forever missed.
Barb is survived by her husband Scott Miller, her daughter Molly (John) Calcagno, her two grandchildren Brandon and Chelsea, and her sister Kathy Conahan. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday May 4, 2024 at 12pm at the First Unitarian-Universalist Society of San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, Barb requested that donations be made to a charity of your choice.