Thatcher Elliott Deane PhD's Obituary
Thatcher Elliott Deane, PhD
Beloved father, husband and friend
Thatcher Elliott Dean, 69, passed away on Thursday July 6, 2023 at his Makawao, Hawaii home after a nearly two year battle with cancer.
Thatcher was born May 13, 1954 in Alamosa, Colorado to William and Hope Dean. He spent his formative years in Montpelier, Vermont. He had two brothers – Carl and Gordon.
In 1975, Thatcher graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Math, Physics and East Asian Studies. He then went on to post-graduate studies at the University of Washington, earning Masters degrees in Chinese Language and Literature (1979), Chinese History (1982), and ultimately his doctorate in Chinese History / History of Science (1989). It was during his time at UW when he met Geri Lim, to whom he was a devoted partner and husband for 45 years until her passing in February 2022.
Thatcher maintained a life-long love of the natural sciences, particularly astronomy and physics. He was an avid amateur ham radio operator, winning multiple awards in various Hawaii State competitions. In his later years, he became an enviable, self-taught woodworker and spent many an hour in his garage wood shop.
Thatcher was the warmest, kindest soul anyone could ever have the joy of meeting. He will be remembered for his boundless generosity, razor-sharp wit, and raucous sense of humor, which remained with him until his final days. Thatcher was a builder and a fixer all his life; his favorite things to build up being people and surely his most prized creations were relationships. A more caring partner, parent, or friend seems hard to come by, but truly we should all be so lucky.
Thatcher is survived, loved, and missed in perpetuity by three children (Amber, Edie and Harvey), nine grandchildren (James, Izac, Malia, Sofia, Ryan, Xavier, Davika, Kameha and Gabriel) and two great grandchildren (Ryder and Grace).
Celebration of life services will be held in Maui on a date to be determined. Thatcher would appreciate any donations made to Islands Hospice-Maui (https://www.islandshospice.com/).
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