Barbara McDonald

1938 - 2025

Barbara McDonald
05/20/1938 - 08/23/2025
Barbara Jean Byrnes McDonald, born May 20, 1938, to Norma (Dickie) Pemberton and William (Bill) Byrnes, passed away peacefully at home on August 23, 2025-the anniversary of both her brother Bill's passing and her parents' wedding. A woman of quirky wit and boundless curiosity, Barbara leaves a legacy built on love, learning, and laughter.
Barbara was born in San Francisco and moved to Sacramento when she was 9; there she made her most lasting friendships. For decades, the family spent summers at Rio Nido. The family moved back to San Francisco when Barbara was 18 so she could attend Lone Mountain College for Women. In 1960, she married Robert Bernard McDonald, also from San Francisco; they moved with their family to Kent Woodlands in 1968 after a brief time in San Bruno. Other than a year in Europe in 1973-74, Barbara spent the rest of her life in Marin, most recently in Mill Valley. In 2000, the McDonalds and Greenes moved their annual pilgrimages from the Russian River to Stinson Beach-these joyful summer gatherings became home for the expanding family.
A single mom during a time when there were not many of them, Barbara enjoyed a variety of careers, including teacher (most notably St. Raphael School for 20 years and the Marin County Jail), college administrator (Lone Mountain College in the 1970s, Dominican University in the 1980s), magazine editor, and librarian (San Francisco Public Library and the Redwoods).
Although she was a lifelong teacher, Barbara didn't work only in classrooms-she taught by living. Whether with family, friends, students, or strangers who quickly became friends, she shared her warmth, wisdom, and spirit. Barbara believed in the transformative power of education, and her lessons extended beyond academics-she modeled resilience, joy, connection, and how to live with purpose.
She is lovingly remembered by her children: Deirdre, Mike, Brian, and her "third son," John Greene. The Barb's pride and joy were her grandchildren: Celia, Frankie, and Phoebe Greene, Clayton (Eva) and Shelby (Peter) McDonald, and Olivia Gilbert. Her circle encompassed extended family, dear friends, and hundreds of former students, many of whom she kept tabs on to the end.
A lifelong learner, Barbara was a curious explorer of the world and all its multitudes. She embraced adventure and new experiences-from being the first passenger in her co-teacher's hand-built airplane in her 20s to taking tap dancing lessons in her 40s and visiting Iceland at 80, she was game for anything up to the day she died. Friendships were a sustaining force throughout, and Barbara cherished her friends. She faced life with a sense of wonder and awe, and by her own account, Barbara was blessed to live a rich and varied life.
A few of her favorite things: ice cream, Groucho Marx, Fred Astaire, Carmen Miranda, root beer floats, Chagall's stained glass and Joan Brown's paintings, phone calls with friends and family, the hummingbirds that she lovingly fed daily, The Wizard of Oz, visiting museums, music of all genres, even more ice cream, and the marsh she gazed at from her apartment. Barbara found joy everywhere, and her laughter is a sound her loved ones will hold on to.
Barbara was a matriarch, teacher, traveler, community organizer, and fiercely loyal friend. Once you were hers, you were hers for life. She is deeply missed and will be fondly remembered for her endless curiosity, her offbeat humor, and her devotion to her family and friends. She donated her body to UCSF, where it will be used to teach anatomy to medical students. A celebration of Barbara's life will be held on Sunday October 19 starting at 11:30 at the Tiburon Yacht Club.