Barbara Jane Moran

Barbara Jane Moran

Native of San Francisco

Woman, Wife, Mother, Sister, Friend, Advocate, Artist, Fan, Traveler

A native San Franciscan, Barbara Jane (Wood) Moran passed away peacefully on April 10, 2017 at the age of 93 after a brief cardiac illness. Barbara had a great passion for the arts, classical music, the SF Giants, and traveling, as well as giving back to the community and to charity. Throughout her life, Barbara maintained relationships with many friends from her professional life, neighbors, fellow golfers and bridge players, and community volunteer members. Mrs. Moran was a member of the Catholic Church, as a parishioner at St. Sebastian’s in Kentfield, Cathedral of St. Eugene in Santa Rosa, and, in her final years, at St. James in Petaluma.

The daughter of two San Francisco natives, John Francis Wood and Anita (Hubber) Wood, Barbara was born on July 24, 1923 in San Francisco, CA, the third and youngest child of the Wood family. Her family moved from the City to San Anselmo, CA, where she attended St. Anselm Elementary and graduated from Tamalpias High School in Mill Valley.

As a young woman in the 1950’s, she passed the difficult screening procedures to successfully enter the US Foreign Service and was stationed to the American Embassy in Paris, France following WWII. She served for four years as an executive secretary with the United States Information Service at the Embassy. There, she was challenged with exciting work, had opportunities to travel, and met many of her life-long friends. Upon returning to the States, Barbara worked as secretary to the President of the Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co. in San Francisco.

Barbara met Charles Moran on a blind date arranged through mutual friends and they married on March 31, 1962. Upon celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary this past March, Barbara was filled with love, was very alert and happy, and read Chuck’s card with appreciation and celebration at their marriage milestone.

After her 3 children were born, she returned to her education, earning her A.A. degree from College of Marin. Later, Barbara worked as an executive assistant with the City of Tiburon in the Planning Department, and with Firemen’s Fund Insurance in Novato.

Barbara lived her life ahead of modern trends, believing in the mid 1970’s in Marin County in buying locally-grown, fresh produce to cook steamed, eating lean meats fresh from neighborhood butchers, growing drought resistance and native plants in her home gardens in Greenbrae and Santa Rosa, and exercising every morning for 30 minutes to a well-used VHS video tape, a habit she kept up for well over 25 years.

Barbara and Chuck enjoyed traveling on domestic and international tours from Cal Bear Treks, Elderhostel and many trips of their own invention. She loved seeing new cultures and participating with Chuck in historical lecture tours with emersion into local food, customs and social traditions. Mementos of their trips still fill their home.

In her retired years, Barbara enjoyed volunteering for Santa Rosa’s Welfare League and was especially dedicated to their annual back-to-school program of providing new clothes, shoes, backpacks and school supplies to in-need Sonoma County kids.

Like her father John, Barbara was an avid SF Giants baseball fan and was thrilled when her team won three World Series titles in these recent years.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Charles, and their three children: Carolan Moran; Tom Moran (Jackie); and Patricia Moran. She is also survived by two nieces, Jean Wood of Fremont, and Barbara (Wood) Knudsen of Ashland, OR, and 2 great-nephews, Matthew and Mark. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Jack Wood (Dorothy), and her sister Anita Wood Mattson (Ted).

Barbara’s husband, Chuck, and her children would like to express their sincere appreciation to the nursing and care team at Hospice of Petaluma, the caring and good-humored staff at Springfield Place in Petaluma, and the dedicated individual care managers too many to name who shared their compassion and support with our Mom over these past few months, as without their guidance we would have been unprepared to help Barbara through this time.

A Funeral Mass, to which all are invited, will be held Tuesday, April 25 at 11:00 a.m., at St. James Catholic Church at 125 Sonoma Mountain Pkwy, Petaluma, CA. A lunch reception in the Church hall will immediately follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities, Hospice of Petaluma, Welfare League of Santa Rosa or a charity of choice.

St. James Catholic Church