Tara Ann Clanon

1969 - 2024

Tara Ann Clanon
08/11/1969 - 08/27/2024
Tara Ann Clanon (née Mammini) of Oakland, California died suddenly and unexpectedly at home on Tuesday evening, August 27, 2024, two weeks after her 55th birthday.
Her family and friends will gather to celebrate her life at the Oakland Zoo Snow Building.
Tara was born August 11, 1969, in San Francisco, California, the first of three children to Al and Michelle (Boyle) Mammini. Tara, her sister Beth, and her brother Paul grew up a close-knit trio in Novato, California. She had many visits with her paternal grandparents in San Francisco, where she had the run of the house, from dancing on the kitchen table to riding the back yard swing.
Tara earned a BS degree in Managerial Economics at the University of California, Davis. She moved back to the North Bay where she worked for title companies before moving to San Francisco to start a 26 year career as bookkeeper, HR person, office manager, and all-around organizer at the architecture and engineering firm E.A.Bonelli & Associates.
Tara's lifelong interest in the natural world, especially marine life, led her on many world-traveling adventures. Among them, she enjoyed kayaking in San Francisco Bay, cruising in the waters of Alaska and Mexico, and sailing in French Polynesia. She loved her eight years volunteering at Oakland Zoo, helping the professional keepers take care of animals large and small, especially the bears.
Tara was a consummate host and organizer, the best amateur travel agent you could ask for, and the chef for many memorable dinners at family gatherings, holidays, and birthdays. Tara reveled in her Italian and Irish roots. A highlight during year-end was the Mammini family tradition of large family dinners, featuring homemade ravioli, which she perfected following her Nonna's recipe.
Tara was that rare person, one whose natural tendency in all circumstances was to think of others before herself. She was the keeper of birthdays and anniversaries for her extended families, and when there was a death in the family Tara was always first on the spot to help out. She was a lifelong friend to many, going as far back as elementary school, and a devoted sister, daughter, and aunt. It was all family to her, family by blood and family by love.
In 1999 Tara met Dan Clanon, and the two never looked back. They were married at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on August 26, 2006, with anchovies, sharks, and every kind of marine life looking over the assembled family and friends. They bought a house in the Laurel section of Oakland, and were a devoted couple for eighteen years until her death on a quiet evening, at home with Dan.
Tara is survived by her husband Dan Clanon, her parents Al and Michelle Mammini, her sister Beth (David) Cutrer, her brother Paul (Jennifer) Mammini, her beloved nieces and nephews Nicholas, Amanda, Nathan, and Lauren and her aunt and uncles, Marie Di Gino, Marco Di Gino, and Frank Spear.
The family requests memorial donations in Tara's name be made to benefit the Oakland Zoo at oaklandzoo.org/donate-to-oakland-zoo, or to a charitable organization of their choice.