Three generations of Egans serving seniors
Feature Article in the Marin Independent Journal
Tim Egan, a retired first lieutenant in the Irish Republican Army, and Ellen "Cookie" Casey, a teen age barkeep in her family's pub, emigrated to the USA in the early and mid-Twenties from their native Ireland. Tim found work at the P.E. O'Haire Plumbing Supply Company in San Francisco and Ellen worded as a nanny and nurse for Marin families while earning her R.N. degree at St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing in San Francisco and then working at Ross Hospital. Tim and Ellen met in the late Twenties and married in 1930, beginning their family, Tim in 1937, and Mike in 1943. The family moved to Marin in 1940. Tim began a new job at Matson Navigation (Pier 36) at the outset of World War II and commuted daily to San Francisco while Ellen remained a housewife in San Anselmo. When Wartime jobs became extinct, Tim looked for an opportunity and found it in the grocery business. He opened the Marin Food Center Market at 4th and A Streets in San Rafael, currently the site of Bank of Marin. Later, he opened the Kentfield Food Center across from College of Marin.
Time for a change
In the early 50's he made the decision to build Marin County's first nursing home after noticing his customers buying fruit baskets to take to their elderly relatives in San Francisco and the Peninsula where the only nursing homes in the area existed. Tim located the facility at 234 North San Pedro Rd. in Santa Venetia. Upon completion in 1952, Tim and Ellen took over the operation with young Tim and Michael as their assistants. After college and U.S. Army service, Tim Junior became Administrator and Mike, who had earned his RN degree became Director of Nursing; positions they still hold today. The Egan family expanded and remodeled Rafael in 1968 and 1969, creating the hospital as it is today, a facility dedicated to our community and caring for the many relatives and friends of families of Tim and Ellen's generation and now Tim Junior and Mike's generation to date totaling around 2,000,000 resident-days of care.
A Third Generation
Now the third generation of Egan's is descending on Rafael; Kerry, Tim's son, and Shannon and Seamus, Mike's children are now employed at Rafael in various capacities. We hope our succession will continue.
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