Naomi M. Meara

MEARA Naomi M. Meara, Ph.D., of Granger, Ind., a Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Psychology Emerita at the University of Notre Dame, died Wednesday, February 28, 2007, at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend. She was born February 26, 1937, in Columbus, OH to the late Joseph R. and Naomi (Conway) Meara. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Joseph F. Meara and Johanna Y. Meara of Columbus, OH; nieces and nephews, Joseph P. Meara (Karen Rebholz) of Madison, WI, Karen Meara (Jay Bainbridge) of Brooklyn, NY, Matthew (Kelley) Meara of Columbus, OH, Kevin C. Meara (Briana Cahill) of Pennington, NJ and Ellen R. Meara (Erzo Luttmer) of Brookline, MA; and grandnieces and nephews, Rowan and Aidan Meara, Cory and Nicholas Bainbridge, Sean Meara and Audrey Kaune, Patrick and Isabel Naomi Meara, and Frans and Rose Luttmer. She also leaves behind a host of loving and devoted friends. She was a graduate of St. Mary of the Springs Academy, Class of 1954. She received a B.A. and a B.Sc. from The Ohio State University, a Masters Degree from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University. As a undergraduate at Ohio State, she was selected as a member of the Mortar Board, the National College Senior Honor Society. Her academic career included faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, Ohio Dominican College in Columbus, OH, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. She retired from the faculty at Notre Dame in 2002. Her career at Notre Dame included serving as Chair of the Department of Psychology 1988 to 1991 and she was the first Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Psychology. She was a fellow of the American Psychological Association and served as president of the Counseling Psychology Division 1989. She was also an active participant in the accreditation process for counseling psychology graduate programs operated by the American Psychological Association. She was a member of the Church of Loretto at St. Mary's. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, March 5, 2007, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Campus of the University of Notre Dame. Friends may call in the WELSHEIMER FAMILY FUNERAL HOME NORTH, 17033 Cleveland Rd., South Bend, IN, Sunday from 2-6 p.m. On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, there will be a visitation at the Egan-Ryan Funeral Home, 403 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH from 4-7 p.m. Graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 7, 2007 in the Mother of Sorrows Chapel at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Columbus, OH. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to contribute to the Fisher-Doyle Fellowship Fund, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Condolences can be made at welshfh@yahoo.com.