Mary Nobles Conrad, widow of the late Barnaby Conrad Jr., died peacefully on Nov 1, 2023 in her seaside home at Rincon Point, Carpinteria after a year of declining health. She was 88 years old.

Her husband of 50 years, the author and artist Barnaby Conrad, Jr., predeceased her in 2013.

Born Feb. 28, 1935 to a prominent family in Pasadena, California, Mary Nobles was the third child of Carrita Miller Nobles and Thomas Nobles. Her father died suddenly of a heart attack on the tennis court of their Pasadena estate in 1944.

After graduating from Garrison Forrest School near Baltimore, Maryland, Mary was just 18 in 1953 when she married William A. Slater, Jr. of Montecito.

The young couple lived in post-war Germany for two years before settling in Belvedere, California, where she raised their sons William A. Slater III and Michael A. Slater.

A horsewoman and avid tennis player, Mary had been ranked in California for 16-and-under tennis players and enjoyed the game most of her long life.

After her marriage to Mr. Slater ended amicably in 1962, she married San Francisco author, artist, bullfighter and nightclub owner Barnaby Conrad, Jr. on May 18, 1963.

Mary gave birth to their daughter Kendall Conrad on May 17, 1964. At their Victorian house in Pacific Heights, California, the Conrads entertained friends and celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball, columnist Herb Caen, and Charlton Heston, among many others.

Mary became a well-known interior decorator in partnership with the late Virginia Lynch. An able hostess in social circles, she also enjoyed leading groups through the giant redwoods in Muir Woods.

Mary always had a soft spot for dogs and cats, so it was no surprise that she fell in love with “Zorro,” the Texas gray tree fox her husband brought home one day. The pet fox, became friends with Mary’s pug Tomás, known as “Puggy,” and inspired her husband’s children’s book “Zorro: A Fox in the City” (1972).

After building a beach house at Rincon Point in Carpinteria, just south of Santa Barbara, the Conrads left San Francisco in 1973. In that same year Mary helped her husband Barnaby found the legendary Santa Barbara Writers Conference, a week-long gathering of famous writers and eager adult students which recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

The first session was held at the Cate School in Carpinteria, and from then on it was mainly held at the seaside Miramar Hotel in Montecito.

For decades the Conrads hosted famous writers and celebrities to lecture and hobnob with several hundred avid students.

Among the speakers were Ray Bradbury, Christopher Isherwood, cartoonist Charles Schulz, comedian Jonathan Winters, James Michener, William Styron, Budd Schulberg, Fanny Flagg, Gore Vidal, Danielle Steele, and Alex Haley of Roots fame.

Among the students was the young novelist Monte Schulz, son of the creator of “Peanuts.” Decades later, in 2010, the Conrads would sell the Writers Conference to him and has fortuitously kept the Writers Conference going to this day.

After her husband Barnaby died in 2013, Mary shared writer’s credits with Matthew J. Pallamary and Y. Armando Nieto when they published the 622-page history “The Santa Barbara Writers Conference Scrapbook” in 2017, She also served as the executive producer of the documentary film of the same name.

Mary was an exceptional cook and hostess. Though not a professional artist, she had a knack for decoupage, needlepoint, and making Christmas ornaments, as well as very clever and inventive dioramas.

She supported animal welfare, as well as the local fire department, veteran organizations, and cancer research. Mary also volunteered for the annual Amethyst Ball charity held at the Coral Casino.

She will be missed by her family and friends. ¡Vaya con dios, Madre!

Mary is survived by a sister Carrita Smith; half-brother John Nelson; her sons William Michael Slater; her daughter Kendall Conrad; step-children Barnaby Conrad III, Cayetana Conrad, and Winston Conrad; grandchildren Will and Adam Slater, Morgan, Conrad and Sammy Slater, Luisa and Fernanda Cameron; and great-grandson Kai Slater.