Barbara Hanscom Gagnon 3/2/1944 - 6/11/2023

Barbara Hanscom Gagnon, 79, was born in Kansas City, Kansas on March 2, 1944, and died peacefully in San Francisco, her adopted home, on June 11, 2023. Her parents, Daniel H. Hanscom, a naval officer and chief administrative law judge for the Federal Trade Commission, and Betty Hanscom, a school teacher, had five children: Barbara, Deborah, Michael, Constance and Stephanie. As the oldest, Barbara was frequently asked to look after her siblings, something that contributed greatly to the caretaking nature she was well known for throughout her life. Dan's military career led to the family moving frequently when Barbara was a child. Among the places they lived were Pensacola, Florida, Virginia Beach and eventually Bethesda, Maryland. Always studious, curious and extremely responsible, she graduated in 1966 from Pembroke College, the former women's college of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. After briefly relocating to New Orleans, Barbara in 1970 joined the legions of young people who were migrating west to San Francisco. This was largely due to their objections to the Vietnam War and eagerness to live in a place that was far more free-spirited than the eastern U.S. She quickly fell in love with both Northern California's natural beauty and its open and accepting way of life. Also, skiing in the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains became one of her enduring passions. In the mid-1970s, Barbara and her then-Husband, William Westbrook, had two sons: Cole and Jesse. She was a loving and devoted mother, and considered the fact that she brought up two kind and conscientious men to be one of her greatest achievements. As Barbara was raising a family, she was also building a career. She spent many years working for the state of California, eventually heading the Employment Training Panel in San Mateo. Perhaps the biggest turning point for Barbara came in 1991 when she bumped into her former college boyfriend, John Gagnon, at a Brown University reunion. They quickly rekindled their relationship and married a year later. She would spend the rest of her days with John, in what was unquestionably the happiest period of her life. After living in Northern New Jersey for several years, Barbara and John relocated back to Northern California in 2004, splitting their time between San Francisco and Colfax. Barbara loved cooking huge, delicious dinners and hosting her sons, their wives, her grandchildren and many members of her extended family at her San Francisco home. Several of Barbara's nieces and nephews who had moved to the Bay Area would regularly comment that her hospitality always made them feel loved and welcomed, even though they were far from the cities and towns where they had grown up. In Colfax, Barbara was committed to her community, and she served on the board of the elementary school district. She also discovered late in life that she was a dedicated "dogperson," who relished trekking around the Sierra foothills with her beloved canines Renny, Ruby and Elle. In addition, she thoroughly enjoyed traveling, painting, gardening, studying French and, of course, cooking (including for her dogs!). Barbara cared deeply for her immediate family: John, Cole; his wife Sai and their daughtersPhoebe and Charlotte; and Jesse; his wife Jenna and their daughters Madeline and Isabel. She was immensely proud of her sons and ecstatic that they both married wonderful, loving people. Barbara was a loving stepmother to Kate, Jean, John, Jr, Heather and her husband Dan, and grandmother to Heather's children, Noel, Owen, and Charlotte. She was an amazing woman who will be greatly missed. Family will be gathering privately in Barbara's honor at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity.