Maureen Ann Callaghan, MD, was born March 14, 1952, in Los Angeles, and passed away surrounded by family on February 6, 2026, in Olympia. Thoughtful, considerate, and curious, she touched many in her too short but full life. Her soul was as vibrant as her wardrobe, and she filled any space with colorful stories and her gift of gab. She dedicated her life’s work to medicine and caring for others. As a woman who loved traveling and the outdoors, she has sewn connections across the world and has left an example for what it means to seize the day.

Maureen grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Immaculate Heart High School where she cultivated friendships that spanned her lifetime. She received a BA in psychology and an MS in neuroscience at the University of California at San Diego, and her MD at the David Geffen Medical School at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Maureen completed her residency in neurology at the University of Washington in 1985. That same year she began her practice of neurology in Olympia, WA and married Allen T. Miller. The couple raised three children, Brendan (Kristina), Patrick (Maile), and Brigit (Taylor) in Olympia before ending the marriage in 2015.

Maureen was committed to service in her profession and community. She practiced neurology in Olympia and Madigan Army Medical Center for over 25 years. She held board member positions for the Washington State Medical Association, including as President (2003-2004). During this time, she advocated to address the rising costs of medical care, and she wrote a column for The Olympian about her work in neurology. Caring for her parents in their last years of life inspired Maureen to shift her practice to hospice and palliative care in 2012, working at Franciscan Hospice House in University Place, WA until her passing.

Maureen became grandmother to Cora in 2022 and Evie in 2024. She was known to them as their Moma. She helped care for Cora during the first years of her life with frequent overnight stays in Seattle. Moma loved bringing her granddaughters to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the Olympia Children’s Museum, annual camping trips, and many a playground.

Maureen loved her dog Bailey, whom she adopted from a patient, and was frequently seen walking him in her neighborhood and chatting with neighbors. Proud of her Irish American Catholic roots she was a former member of St. Michael parish in Olympia and later a member of Sacred Heart parish in Lacey, WA. She loved hosting dinner parties and regularly dined with her Gourmet friends, forged from the families at St. Michael.

In recent years, Maureen enjoyed world travel. Since 2019, she traveled to Malawi, Antarctica, Croatia, Ireland, Scotland, Patagonia, Peru, Ecuador, Banff, Australia, New Zealand, and most recently Southeast Asia. Dedicated to exploring other cultures and diversity in humanity, she seized each day with love and joy. Maureen also enjoyed multiple camping trips each year with Bailey in her travel trailer, the Irish Rover, and taking in the beauty of the Northwest on hikes organized by the Mountaineers.

Maureen is preceded in death by her parents Jacque and Jim Callaghan. She is survived by her siblings Peggy Papathakis (John) and Kevin Callaghan of San Luis Obispo, CA, her former spouse, A.T. Miller (Suzy Dix) of Spokane, WA, her three children, granddaughters, many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and Callaghan, Gibney, Jones and Beardsley cousins in the United States, Canada Ireland, and Australia.

A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 812 Bowker St. SE, Lacey, WA 98503 on February 16th at 11:00 am. Following mass, there will be a reception at Funeral Alternatives of Washington, 455 North Street SE, Tumwater, WA, at 12:30 pm. A celebration of life will also be held at a later date, in the summer of 2026. To honor her life, please donate to Franciscan Hospice House, Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles), or Doctors Without Borders.