Barbara Joan Callahan (nee Kay) died on June 23 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.

She 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. The couple was married for 63 years before John’s death in September 2022.

Barbara retired and spent her time between Bonita Springs, Fla. and Martha’s Vineyard. An avid golfer for many years, she was a charter member of Farm Neck Golf Club in Oaks Bluffs, and a member of Pelican’s Nest Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.

She enjoyed cooking, reading, gardening, bird watching, shopping, hosting a good party and quality time with cherished family and friends. A caring, confident, strong woman, she will be missed immensely by all those close to her.

Barbara is predeceased by her parents Michael and Verna Kay (Kolodinsky). She is also predeceased by her husband, John Callahan, Jr.

She was a devoted mother and 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 celebration of life will be held in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the American Heart Association or the American Civil Liberties Union.