Donald Weatherley

1930 - 2019

Donald Weatherley passed peacefully at home on February 1st, 2019. He was 88. Don was a professor emeritus of Psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder and was a psychotherapist in the Boulder community. Don's long career began in Chicago with a bachelor's and master's degree at Northwestern University. He earned a PhD in psychology at Stanford University and afterward served in the Army at Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco and the Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio where he met his wife and life partner Sue Yager. Don and Sue were married at Sue's family's home in Jackson, MN in 1956. After spending a year as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Don and Sue settled in Boulder in 1960 when Don became a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado. During his long career at CU, Don served as chairman of clinical faculty and director of clinical training at CU, taught courses and supervised doctoral students. He and Sue helped establish the Boulder Family Therapy Center where they practiced for many years. Don retired from CU in 2013 and maintained a small private practice until 2017. Don loved tennis, skiing, family camping trips, tying flies and fishing on Boulder Creek, playing poker with his friends and family, and prided himself on riding his bike to work nearly every day of his career, all of which he shared with and passed on to his children and grandchildren. Don also loved sailing, beginning on Lake Michigan and continuing on San Francisco Bay, the lakes in San Antonio, the Boulder Reservoir, bareboating trips with family and friends in the Caribbean, and later in life with model sailing and racing. Born March 22, 1930 in Chicago, IL to Alfred and Florence Weatherley, Don had an older brother Bob Weatherley and is survived by his younger brother Dick Weatherley. Together, Don and Sue raised four children, Mark Weatherley, Anne Jill Weatherley, Sara Weatherley, and John Weatherley, who live in Boulder with their spouses and children. In recent years, Don derived much joy and meaning from caring for with his six grandchildren Ellis, Gabe, Elias, Lulit, Carter, and Kate. Don lived a simple yet infinitely rich and inspirational life filled with family he loved, cherished friends, deeply meaningful work, and time spent, daily, engaging in joyful recreation. Don approached work and relationships with great integrity, dedication, and attention, and used his humor, warmth, and human insight to inspire and encourage lively and engaging conversation with those around him. He gave memorable lectures in his Abnormal Psych classes, mentored and guided numerous graduate students with their dissertations, and helped many in his psychotherapy practice. Don had a loving and deeply satisfying marriage with his wife Sue, and took pride in providing well for his family. We toast Don, to a life well lived, and hope that all touched by Don's presence will continue to be inspired by his humor, can do, glass-half-full, approach to living. Over the past few years Don was a member of a local Parkinson's group, which he greatly enjoyed. In the 1970's, Don was involved in establishing the Boulder County Hospice and in recent months was a beneficiary of their care. Donations can be made in Don's memory to TRU Community Care and Hospice, www.trucare.org/product/donation/ and to the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's at www.davisphinneyfoundation.org . A memorial service for Don will be announced at a later date.