Our mother, Frances Corcoran, was proud of the fact that she was in the first graduating class of Santa Barbara City College’s licensed vocational nursing program. She’d enrolled in the program, which began in 1960, and became a registered nurse by 1972. At that time, women had few career options and working outside the home was frowned upon. Fran found her way to psychiatric nursing, which she found both interesting and challenging.
She was born Frances Louise Gordon on July 10, 1928, to Arthur and Clara Gordon. She grew up in Chicago with her sister, Shirley, and brother, Bob. In college she met Robert Bush, and they were married after Fran was baptized into the Catholic Church. Many of her friends and patients knew her from her nursing days as Fran Bush. Their first son, Stephen, was born in Chicago. The young family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Kathy, Tom, and Linda were born. Finding it too hot, they migrated up the California coast, eventually landing in Santa Barbara in 1960.
Soon after, Fran saw that her marriage was in trouble, so she consulted with Father Virgil at the Mission. She also decided to attend City College, earning her nursing degrees and then joining the staff at Santa Barbara County General Hospital’s Psychiatric Health Facility, commonly known as the PHF or “Puff” Unit.
In 1991, she was named the County of Santa Barbara’s Health Care Services employee of the year. The award stated: “Fran can be depended upon to do her job with every bit of effort and joy she can muster. She has the memory of a computer and the sage wisdom to discern relevant information. All staff have come to rely on Fran’s extensive knowledge of Mental Health. Her sense of fairness and supportiveness to staff is above and beyond. It is safe to say that when Fran is at work, everyone has a smile on their face, as she inspires us all.”
In her more than 30 years of work in mental health at the Psychiatric Health Facility, she saw many changes. One transition with long-lasting effects was when Camarillo State Hospital closed. A mental institution since the 1930s, it was where patients were sent for long-term care. After its closure, there was a reliance on short-term care at the “Puff,” from which patients were released with psychiatric drugs.
Fran moved to her “forever” home in Montecito in 1965 and was divorced soon afterward. She was always amazed to be raising four kids as a nurse living in Montecito. She had grown up during the Depression and remained frugal her entire life. She enjoyed thrift store shopping, turning off lights at night, and watering plants with water saved from the washing machine. Her one splurge was her weekly visit to the beauty parlor, where she was known as “Trixie.”
Along with her family, Fran’s great joy in life was her home. She loved to be creative. Away she would go with her trusty Singer sewing machine. She upholstered couches and chairs, made quilts for everyone, braided and hooked rugs. She even embroidered floral pictures for the walls.
Fran attended many Adult Education classes, where she found her final passion, stained glass. She designed lamp shades throughout the house as well as the bedroom windows. Stained glass mosaics found their way onto paving stones, flowerpots, tables, and the boulders on the hillside. She loved to garden, finding it a stress relief from her career.
In her later years, Fran had a short second marriage but longtime companionship with Jim Corcoran. She stayed fit working out at the Montecito YMCA into her nineties. She was even an usher at the Arlington Theatre when the Santa Barbara Symphony played there.
Fran’s children grew up hearing many of her favorite sayings including: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream,” “Inch me and pinch me went out for a walk. Inch me got lost and who was left,” and “You’ll get your reward in heaven.” They also listened to lots of Perry Como, her favorite!
Fran stayed in her beloved home until her final days. Her humorous sarcasm kept us entertained till the very end. Fran passed away on September 21, 2023, at Serenity House, where she was sent off with love while surrounded by her four children — Stephen Bush, Kathy Neely, Tom Bush, and Linda Toll. She was “Grandma Goose” to seven and great-grandmother to eight.
The family is so grateful to her granddaughter Rosie Neely, who lived with and cared for her, and also to her caregiver Kate Stawiecki, and to Sharda Lewis, palliative care nurse from VNA.
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