Marcia "Marcy" Downing Deaton, PhD., clinical psychologist, passed away September 1, 2022, from heart failure at The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.Born in Columbus, Ohio to Paul and Marian Deaton in 1950, Dr. Deaton did undergraduate studies at The Ohio State University and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. She graduated from the University of Hawaii Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her PhD in psychology in 1978 at the University of Washington, studying Decision Theory.
After two years in New York where she worked in human resources, Marcy returned to Honolulu and worked at the Cancer Information Service through the University of Hawaii. She re-specialized at UH Manoa to work as the clinical psychologist for Diamond Head Community Adult Mental Health Center, from which she retired after 20 years of service in 2012.
Marcy survived both Hodgkin lymphoma and breast cancer. The radiation therapy she received, while prolonging her life, also led to long-term disabling health side effects. During her successful career, she used her rare intelligence, experience as a patient, psychology education, and wonderful sense of humor to help her adult clients re-establish meaningful lives. Marcy also volunteered at "Make Today Count" and several cancer-survivor groups at Queen's Hospital. At "Make Today Count", she counseled terminally ill cancer patients and their families. She participated in the Queen's groups via Zoom calls from her hospital bed until the week before she died.
When Marcy wasn't volunteering, she was cooking or playing with her bearded collie, which she often trained with celery and carrots. She loved cooking for her life partner, Rodney W. Smith, neighborhood parties, and her many clients and doctors' staffs. She was never far from whipping up a batch of brownies or chocolate mousse. Marcy had also been a member of Mensa Hawaii.
Marcy is survived by Rodney Smith; sister Marian "Mimi" Deaton Rago and her family, and the family of her recently deceased brother, Thomas Deaton.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Marcy at a later date. Donations in her name to the Hawaii American Cancer Society
will be most welcome.
