Colleen Eva McAvoy passed away at her San Carlos home on Saturday, May 21, surrounded by family and friends. She was 56 years old.
Colleen was born July 2, 1959 in Oxnard, Calif. to Douglas and Amy (Durst) McAvoy, Sr. She graduated from Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard in 1977, where she was a National Merit Scholar. She attended Stanford University, where she met the love of her life, James V. Buatti, in 1978. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in public policy in 1981 and received her J.D. from the UC Hastings College of Law in 1985.
She joined the law firm of McGlashan & Sarrail in 1986, where she became a partner, specializing in estate planning, conservatorships, business and real estate law. She was named a Northern California Super Lawyer in 2009.
Colleen also had a deep passion for volunteering and giving back to her community. She was elected President of the San Mateo County Bar Association in 2013; served on the Board of Directors of Sustainable San Mateo County; was very active in the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society and in Beyond War; served as President of the Foster City Mother’s Club when her children were young and worked as the Regional Referee Administrator for AYSO San Mateo Region 36, which was National Region of the Year during the year of her administration. She also had an Advanced AYSO referee badge and had completed her National AYSO referee training. She refereed hundreds of youth soccer games as a volunteer.
As an athlete, Colleen enjoyed extreme skiing, coed and women’s indoor soccer and the Scottish game of Shinty (Camanachd.) She was legal counsel for the Northern California Camanachd Association.
She was passionate about living life in a positive way, always seeking new ideas and adventures while steadfastly remaining warm, kind and generous throughout. She was forever interested in improving the world, both for herself and for those around her. To say she will be missed would be an understatement.
Colleen was predeceased by her parents and sister Pamela. She is survived by her husband Jim Buatti and their children James Buatti of Belmont and Eva McAvoy of Awuna Beach, Ghana; her brother Douglas McAvoy (Nancy) of Ventura, Calif.; sisters Laura McAvoy (Sol Chooljian) of Camarillo, Calif. and Heather McAvoy (Bruce Krempetz) of La Honda; her in-laws Jim and Pat Buatti of Pittsfield, N.H.; brothers-in-law Mark Buatti (Tammy) of Salem, N.H.; Scott Buatti of Pittsfield, N.H. and Brett Buatti (Lauren) of Calabasas, Calif.; seven nieces and nephews; two grandnieces and a grandnephew and countless friends and extended family.
A Celebration of Colleen’s life will be held in June at Mountain Terrace in Woodside. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Planned Parenthood, Sustainable San Mateo County, the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County or any organization that serves your community.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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