Kathleen Mary ( Farley) Boden
Surrounded by her loving family, Kathleen ( Kathy) passed peacefully from this life and into God’s hands on January 31st, 2016. She joins her adoring husband Joe, who was waiting for her with open arms. Kathy came into the world on August 12th, 1927 in Waltham, Massachusetts, as her parents, John and Nora Farley, were en route from County Cavan, Ireland to their new home in San Francisco. They completed their journey to San Francisco when Kathy was just three months old. As the eldest child of Irish immigrant parents, Kathy successfully paved a path for her five younger siblings as she learned about and navigated American customs and traditions. Kathy attended Star of the Sea grammar school and high school and at the age of 17, she left San Francisco to attend St. Joeseph’s Nursing School in Tacoma, Washington. Returning to San Francisco in 1948, Kathy worked as a registered nurse at St. Mary’s and St. Francis Hospitals while attending U. C. Berkeley. In 1952, Kathy graduated with highest honors from Berkeley with a BS in Science, and an additional certification in Public Health. After graduating, Kathy began a long and successful career as a public health nurse serving the people of San Francisco.
On Christmas Eve, 1951, Kathy met Joe Boden at a gathering at the Farley home in the Richmond district where, after midnight mass, the group evidently waited all night long for a malfunctioning coffee pot to brew. The coffee never materialized, but Kathy and Joe fell in love that very night and married on June 27th 1953. Kathy and Joe welcomed three children, Ellen, Joe, and Cece, into their lives, and after Cece’s birth, Kathy stopped working for twelve years to focus on raising her brood. Kathy and Joe always put their children first, helping with homework, driving on field trips and to sports events, and providing their children with any book, music lessons, or dance classes that would enrich their lives. More than that, Kathy and Joe provided a loving, secure, and joyful environment that shaped the rest of their children’s lives. Kathy resumed her career as a nurse working part- time at Laguna Honda Hospital, and then eventually returned to the SF Department of Public Health, where she was instrumental in providing maternal and infant health care as well as health education for the city’s refugee populations. She retired in 1998 to care for Joe in his final years, but never let her nursing license lapse. She renewed her license this past August and was a California registered nurse for 68 consecutive years.
Kathy will continue to live on through her children Ellen Cremin and husband Dan, Joe Boden and wife Susan, Cece Bechelli and husband Greg; grandchildren Michael Boden and wife Ana, Matthew Bechelli, Kaylie Boden, Amanda Wyant, Caitlin McSunas and husband Michael, Kelsey Bechelli and fiancé Travis Urban; her much loved sisters Bernadette McKeon, Noreen Murphy, and Ann Newman; her twenty one nieces and nephews; numerous cousins, friends, and extended family; and dear friends Pat and Bob Keller, and Mariel Rossman. In addition to her parents and her husband Joe, Kathy was predeceased by her much beloved brothers John Farley and Patrick Farley. We will continue to carry our love and gratitude for Kathy in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Holy Name Church, 1555- 39th Ave. S. F. Saturday, February 13th at 1: 00 p. m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made, in Kathy’s memory, to Hospice by the Bay or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.