Barbara Joan Callahan (née Kay) passed away on June 23, 2025, at the age of 87. She was a resident of West Tisbury (formerly of Bonita Springs, Fla., Huntington, N.Y., and Great Neck, N.Y.).
Barbara was the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., in 1959. During her Hartwick years, she was a member of the Gamma Sigma Phi Sorority, where she made lifelong friends. Barbara met and married the love of her life, John Callahan, also while attending Hartwick. They started a family and eventually moved to Huntington, N.Y. Barbara worked with John to build his very successful State Farm Insurance Agency. Barbara and John were married for 63 years before his passing in September 2022.
Barbara retired and spent her time between Bonita Springs, Fla., and Martha’s Vineyard. An avid golfer for many years, Barbara was a charter member of the Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs, and a member of the Pelican’s Nest Golf Club in Bonita Springs. She enjoyed cooking, reading, gardening, birdwatching, shopping, hosting a good party, and quality time with cherished family and friends. A caring, confident, strong woman, Barbara will be missed immensely by all those close to her.
Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Michael and Verna Kay (Kolodinsky); and her husband, John Callahan Jr. Barbara was a devoted mother, and is survived by her children, Kevin (Margaret), Timothy, and Lauren; her grandchildren, Kaitlyn (Ricky), Jacqueline (Bryan), Ian, and Emily (Marshall); and her great-grandchild, John Cesar.
A fall celebration of life will be held at a later date and time.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Barbara’s name to the American Heart Association, online at bit.ly/AHA_MemoriamDonations, or the American Civil Liberties Union, online at action.aclu.org/give/now.
