Mariella Callahan

Mariella Callahan died peacefully on March 29, 2023 at Quail Park Memory Care in West Seattle. She was 95.

Mariella was born on February 21, 1928 in Portland, OR. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she became a strong source of support for her younger brother. Their mother remarried a construction worker, resulting in frequent moves in their younger years. Eventually the family settled in Manning, OR, where they ran a small café. Mariella graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in Hillsboro, OR where she made lifelong friends.

Following high school, Mariella attended nursing school at Providence Hospital in Portland, primarily because there was no cost! After graduating from nursing school in 1950 and gaining some nursing experience in the Portland area, Mariella and a group of friends decided to seek a change and move to San Francisco. Mariella loved San Francisco and spent most of her life there, becoming very familiar with all the city had to offer. She was especially good at finding the best restaurants.

In San Francisco, Mariella worked at St. Mary’s hospital. She spent her entire career at this hospital, meeting the inevitable changes in nursing and administration with her amazing combination of humor, professional skills, and human compassion. Her excellent people skills did not extend to the care of plants.

Trips to visit Aunt Mariella were the highlight of her niece and nephew’s growing up years. She delighted in taking them to cutting edge theater and music productions. A live performance of “Hair!” particularly shocked their parents. For many years, she had season tickets to the San Francisco Giants and was savvy regarding the rules of baseball. She particularly enjoyed times with her brother, including occasional ocean fishing off the coast of Washington.

Mariella consistently took on the role of caretaker. She brought her mother to live with her in her last few years and took charge of arranging care for her father and more than one of her aunts. Her family always turned to her when medical events occurred, and she would often come in person to help.

When her nephew Mark lay dying in the hospital in Santa Monica, she sat with her brother and sister-in-law watching various medical personnel come and go. She advised them that she could always tell which ones were the doctors by the way they strode through the hall. She had little patience with them, and she was always correct.

Mariella was a very practical person, once purchasing a new set of bedroom furniture on the way home from picking up her niece at the airport, because it was needed and the furniture store was conveniently on the way. She brewed and drank both coffee and tea. If you wanted decaf, she waved her hand over the cup and pronounced it “decaf.”

She enjoyed travel, mostly on the West Coast. For several years, she was partial owner in a cabin near Yosemite and relished the outdoors. Annually, she traveled to Bellevue to be with her brother and his family for both a summer and a Christmas holiday.

Mariella was warm, funny, and generous. As she often said, “shrouds have no pockets.” In her later years, she declared herself “the cutest” and she was not wrong.

Mariella was preceded in death by her father Maurice Sylvester Callahan, her mother Loie Belle Cruver Stiles, her sister-in-law Gere Ann Callahan, and her nephew Mark Callahan. She is survived by her brother Thomas Callahan, her niece Ann Callahan (Terry Hendrickson), and her great niece Emma Woodbrook (Peter).

Remembrances may be given to any hospice organization of your choice, or to St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco.

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” Morrie Schwartz

To share your condolences and memories of Mariella, please visit her Tribute Wall, located above.

- Care Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home -