Wendy Sue McGrath

Born in Tempe, Arizona, to LaVerne Peck and the late Michael Robert McGrath, Wendy grew up as the oldest of eight children. Family and those who knew her have fond memories of her as a mentor, a strong and loving presence in our lives over the years.

She loved dancing, playing piano, laughing out loud, bringing beautiful gardens to vibrant life, singing in harmony, and cherishing and loving her siblings, children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A “funstigator”, she enjoyed planning and participating in all kinds of fun family activities, from water balloon fight birthday parties to family reunions at James Taylor concerts.

Wendy completed her Bachelors of Nursing degree in June 1991 at Sacramento State University, and practiced nursing for many years. Different work included everything from emergency room nurse to labor and delivery, the joyous part of medicine – bringing new souls into the world. Most recently, she did home visits for the aging less able-bodied and was a hospice nurse, giving comfort and compassion to people in their final days.

Wendy´s life was filled with spiritual searching and a desire to understand. She had many spiritual influences, including Mormonism and Catholicism. Her strongest practice was Buddhist meditation. Starting in the 1980s, she attended multiple retreats annually at Shasta Abbey (CA), where she received the precepts and her Buddhist name, Seido Ninshi. For several years she practiced residentially at San Francisco Zen Center. To explore the possibility of future priest ordination, in 2007 she received a temporary ordination from her root teacher, Shosan Victoria Austin, then trained with Pema Chodron at Gampo Abbey, Nova Scotia. Her studies continued with a three-year lay retreat to focus on the ground of relationships with family and friends. When she moved to the Nevada City area in 2007, she spoke foremost of her desire to be near her daughters and grandchildren, and spiritually of this new home as her monk´s cave.

She delighted in being a grandma, dancing around the house with the grandkids, baking cookies, playing impromptu games on the lawn, going to the river, and taking them for walks with her dog Ché.

She is survived by her beloved, Keith Baker, of San Francisco; her mother LaVerne; siblings Jamie, Michael, Elizabeth, Patrick, Rebecca and Daniel; daughters Jenifer, Jessica and Shelline; grandchildren Taylor, Elysia and Atreya; nieces and nephews Ben, Jared, Elise, Teresa, Aubrey, Megan, Steven, Caitlin, Erin, Shannon, Colin and Duncan, and ex-husbands Richard Martines and Patrick Supple. Family is joined by friends and colleagues who also mourn her passing, for she was generous and kind to so many in her openness to those around her.