Ruth Ann “Bonnie” Harrigan, 1923 – 2016

Ruth Ann (Bonnie) Harrigan of Walnut Creek, passed away on August 4th, 2016 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. She was 93. She was born on July 18, 1923 in Berkeley California and lived in the Bay Area all her life. She married Robert Francis Harrigan on September 27th 1945 and raised their four children in Lafayette.

Bonnie attended Berkeley High School and UCLA and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from San Francisco State University. She was a kindergarten teacher for many years, and after receiving a Master’s degree in psychology she also did marriage counseling. She was an early and active feminist, working to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and providing curriculum on California women’s history to schools in the area.

Bonnie was a lifelong gardener and an avid traveler, visiting among other places Bhutan, China and Ireland. She was also an enthusiastic photographer, and married her two interests by traveling to Lake Baikal in Siberia to photograph birds. Her photographs were displayed in several local shows.

She is survived by her four children, Robert Keith Harrigan, Merrilee Sue Harrigan, Mark Henry Harrigan and James Brian Harrigan; by eight grandchildren; and by two great grandchildren, who are already missing the love, passion and energy she brought to everything she did.