Connie Mahoney, influential educator, dies at 97

Connie Mahoney, the matriarch of a prominent, philanthropic Petaluma family, whose legacy includes the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus, died on Aug. 2. She was 97.

With her husband, Herold Mahoney, who helped establish the local branch of the SRJC, Connie Mahoney was active in education throughout her life. The Connie Mahoney Reading Room bears her name inside the Herold Mahoney Library on the Petaluma camps.

Born in Newcastle, England to a mother and father who was a hardscrabble coal miner, Mahoney immigrated with her family to the U.S. as a child, settling in Chicago. The first in her family to go to college, she moved to Southern California, earning a liberal arts degree from UCLA and a master’s degree in education from Long Beach State University.

Mahoney taught elementary school for 14 years before pursuing a Ph.D. in education from San Francisco State University in 1954. During a model teaching demonstration, Mahoney was observed by Helen Putnam, the former Petaluma mayor and county supervisor, who was then on the local school board.

Putnam was instrumental in hiring Mahoney as the director of curriculum and instruction for the Petaluma City School District.

“She was the city girl who moved to the country and never left,” said her daughter, Kerry Davison.

Connie Mahoney met Herold at a Petaluma High School football game. The two later had dinner to discuss educational materials in the classroom. That began a whirlwind romance, and they were married two months later in 1955, living on the ranch Herold had built on Middle Two Rock Road west of Petaluma.

Mahoney remained active in education, serving on Parent Teacher Associations and the Sonoma County Girl Scout Council. The Mahoneys were influential in founding the Petaluma Educational Foundation, and Connie continued to be involved after Herold’s death in 1999.

“She was a powerhouse on her own,” Davison said. “She was always very driven.”

A member of the Two Rock Presbyterian Church, she was involved with many local organizations including the Petaluma Women’s Club, American Association of University Women, Petaluma Art and Garden Club, Red Hat Society and Little Hills Investment Club.

Davison said that she was a mentor to generations of Petaluma women.

“Everyone went to her for advice,” she said. “She’s been an inspiration to so many people.”

Mahoney loved gardening, especially hydrangeas, playing bridge and oil painting. An avid San Francisco Giants fan, she attended Spring Training at the age of 95.

She is survived by children John Mahoney, Alan Mahoney, Colleen Mahoney and Kerry Davison; eight grandchildren and many great grandchildren.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 7 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Rooster Run Golf Club in Petaluma. Donations can be made in her memory to SRJC Foundation for the Petaluma Campus Herold Mahoney Library Endowment.