Luciano L'ABATE Obituary

Name: Visitation for Luciano L'ABATE
Start: 2016-06-04T17:30:00.000Z
End: 2016-06-04T18:00:00.000Z
Location: A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory

L'ABATE, Luciano The eminent psychologist Dr. Luciano L'Abate passed away on April 8, 2016. Dr. L'Abate, originally from Brindisi, Italy, came to Georgia State University in Atlanta as a Professor of Psychology in 1965. While at Georgia State, Dr. L'Abate served as Director of the Family Psychology Training Program and the Family Study Center. In 1983, he was awarded the GSU Alumni Distinguished Professorship in the School of Arts and Sciences. He remained on the faculty until he retired in 1990 and was named Professor Emeritus. Dr. L'Abate led a distinguished career both as a clinical practitioner and researcher in family psychology, credited as a pioneer of relational competence theory. He published more than 55 books and over 300 papers, chapters, and book reviews in professional and scientific journals, and his work has been translated into ten languages. He was named "Family Psychologist of the Year" in 1994 by the Family Psychology Division the American Psychological Association, among numerous other honors. Dr. L'Abate lectured extensively across North America, Europe and Asia, and held visiting professorships at both American and foreign institutions. During much of this time, he managed to maintain a part-time clinical practice and served in the community in various ways, including as a volunteer with the Diversification Program of DeKalb County Juvenile Court. Prior to his death, he was involved in full-time writing and research and continued to lecture internationally, most recently in Tokyo in August 2013. Dr. L'Abate, known to his friends and close colleagues as "Lu," touched the lives of countless people worldwide throughout his highly distinguished career. Dr. L'Abate is survived by his wife, Gay Denham L'Abate, daughter Elizabeth L'Abate, son John L'Abate and daughter-in-law Melissa Mitchell L'Abate, and granddaughter Alessandra L'Abate and grandson Ian L'Abate. A memorial service is set for Saturday, June 4th, at 2:00 at A.S. Turner and Sons Chapel at 2773 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30033. The family will receive visitors a half hour before the service.

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Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 29, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Luciano L'ABATE

Sponsored by A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.

11 Entries

Arthur van Eigen

May 23, 2025

Time flies Lu and so are you. You fly with me in my work and in my personal life. You are not forgotten my dear friend and esteemed colleague. Of course your wicked humour is never far away.

Arthur van Eigen

May 23, 2024

Always thinking of you Lu, you continue to live on in all your great work and the things you achieved in your remarkable life.

Arthur van Eigen

May 23, 2023

Always missed Luciano, your inspiration and wonderful humor lives on. Your friend forever.
Arthur van Eigen in Australia

Arthur van Eigen

May 23, 2022

Never forgotten Lu, my dear old friend. The world is not the same without you.

Arthur van Eigen

May 26, 2019

Dear friend, A year has passed and the world moves on. Your wisdom remains here with us personally for those who knew you and in your extensive writings. Mega Sempre

Arthur van Eigen

August 10, 2016

Dear Lu my dearest friend,

I am a very old and long time friend and colleague of Lu. I just learned the terribly sad news that Lu passed away. I am deeply sad and I shall miss him.

We were close friends and colleagues for 40 years. Our contact became even closer after my visit to Lu in Atlanta in 2005/2006. We emailed each other regularly, I co-authored a paper for the Family Therapy Journal and I wrote a foreword for one of his latest books. I supported and questioned Lu's work, I often provided feedback, comments and i proof read many of Lu's pre publication master pieces.

The unexpected passing of my mother in Holland in January/February 2016, took me away from Australia for almost 2 months. Sadly I have been too busy catching up with work and day to day life since my return and have not been emailing Lu as frequently as before. My last email to Lu and Lu's reply was 27 February 2016. I am devastated, We were talking about my family and I visiting Lu again in 2016 or 2017.

Farewell my dearest friend, your work, wisdom and your humour will live on in us who were close to you professionally and personally. It has been an honour being your friend and colleague for 40 years and I thank you for all the things you shared with me, privately and professionally. Your memory shall live on in me and the work I am doing. My deep condolences to Gay and Lu's family

Love

Arthur van Eigen - Psychologist
Darwin
Australia

Marilyn Goodrich

July 13, 2016

The last time I saw Dr. L'abate he spoke glowingly of his grandaughter, who was a source of great pride to him. He was an important contributor to clinical psychology, and I continue to observe and understand what he taught me as his student. His influence will be long-lasting, and his creative thinking a model for others to follow. Differentiation was a key research and clinical concept for him, and I continue to see his application of various theorists, such as Witkin, in my daily life. His was a life well lived. He was a gracious and generous man, and his writings will continue to keep his influences alive.
He was born the same year Mickey Mouse was created, as I pointed out to him. Dr. L'abate also had a wonderful sense of humor, and he never gave me minuses for my jokes, including that of his sharing a birthyear with Mickey Mouse. We had a lot of laughs, and he wanted families to have not only dinner together as a therapeutic intervention, but he also wanted them to share jokes. The family that laughs together stays together, and Dr. L'Abate helped families retain the individuality of its members and stay together as a group.

May 30, 2016

Our condolences in your loss. Hold firmly to the hope and promise God made of resurrecting our loved ones to life again. - Ps 145:18,19

Sharyn Holmes

May 29, 2016

We adored Luciano and are sorry we will miss this memorial......he will always make me smile when I think of him. I enjoyed his devotion to his granddaughter Allesandra and that he would be her bocce partner at LSI picnic events.

S W

May 29, 2016

May the God of all comfort strengthen the family during this time of deep sorrow. Those who pass on, God keeps in his memory because they are precious in his eyes. My sincerest condolences. Psalms 116:15.

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