Nini McCone
Jun 28, 1933 – Mar 24, 2018
A light went out. Maybe ten others lit up, but one brilliant light went out. Nini McCone passed at home peacefully and surrounded by her family on March 24th following a short illness. Nini is survived by her children: Andy, Mike (Gigi), and Matt; her grandchildren, Charlie, Kennedy, and Tyler; the cat Jerry; her sister Jean Gansa; and Nini’s partner of four decades Jim Hammond.
Nini (Caroline Charles) was raised in San Francisco, the daughter of Allan Earle Charles and Caroline Moore Charles.She received her unique name, at a very young age, from her inability to pronounce her older sister Jean’s name. It came out “Nini” instead of “Jeanie”. Everyone was charmed, it stuck. In her lifetime she met five other people and a dog named Nini. Not many people can say that.
As a young woman Nini was a much-celebrated debutante and socialite. Nini was well known for her graciousness and style, attributes thataccompanied her for the rest of her life. Always polite and interested in others Nini was a great companion, dinner guest and colleague as she was genuinely interested in people and conversations.
Nini attended Catherine Delmar Burke and Stanford University. Nini married Mike McCone in 1958. Joining the Peace Corps, they moved to Sierra Leone (West Africa) with two infants in tow. Nini was pregnant and gave birth to her third child there, all along her adventurous spirit buoying her. More travels, with the Peace Corps, brought the family to Borneo. Nini spent five years overseas wrangling, guiding and loving her threechildren.
Influenced by her mother’ s volunteer ism Ni ni engaged with some community groups, serving as President of the Junior League and on the PTA of Cabrillo School. Deciding to strike out as a professional Nini went back to school to become a CPA. Attending Golden Gate University accounting classes, she propelled herself into the profession of bookkeeper, accountant, and then Certified Public Accountant (Nini did very well on the notoriously difficult CPA exams. Yay for Moms !). With her passion for community groups Nini specialized in non-profit accounting.
Though Nini excelled in the community groups and as an accountant, she really excelled as a person. A great mother, neighbor, coworker, boss, partner: the list is very long. Nini was an insatiably curious person, but more than that,optimistic. She celebrated so much of her life and her relationships. Friends and family felt so lucky to have such an engaged and supportive person in their lives.
In 1980 Nini reconnected with Jim Hammond (they had dated at Stanford) beginning four decades of togetherness and happiness. In 1999 Ninideclared that she was done with her 1978 fuddy-duddy blue Toyota 2-door Corolla and purchased a Forest Green Mazda Miata in which she cut quite the figure driving around the Bay Area and the neighborhood.
Nini loved walking, exploring the City and Bay Area environs. A most avid walker, Nini would happilytrek from her home in the Richmond to the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market on Saturdays (4 miles each way), and every day headed down to the Transit Café in the Presidio, or Crissy Field. Nini also enjoyed spending time with formal and informal walking groups (The Ladies!).
Nini was her happiest staying atthe Charles family cabin in Fallen Leaf Lake as she had been doing since childhood. During the day Nini would take breakfast on the deck, bask in the sun, hike to the Angora Ridge Lookout, Glen Alpine or the Angora lakes (dragging Jim along). At night it was puzzles, reading and she adored sleeping on the deck!
Eating out on Friday nights with her longtime partner Jim was one of her favorite activities. Nini lovedeating at the bar, of a restaurant, so she could have a view of what was going on in the place. Nini loved the “perch” she had sitting at the bar. Jim was not a big fan of that, but his adoration of Nini made him happy to participate.
Memorial donations may be made to the San Francisco Parks Alliance or KQED.
A celebration of Nini’s life will be held on Saturday, April 21st at 1pm at The Cliff House (one of her favorite perches) 1090 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121. Come remember Nini.