ELEANOR DEEGAN

1944 - 2022

DEEGAN, Eleanor Friend, Wife, Mother Last year, on February 25th, 2021, Eleanor (Ellie) Mary Margaret Mahar Deegan, age 76, longtime resident of Cambridge MA, left this world, passing from natural causes. Born November 25th, 1944 in Cambridge, MA to Ralph C. Mahar and Margaret M. Mahar. Ellie was a miracle baby, at birth undergoing life-saving surgeries only then just invented. By the time she was only 10 years old she had survived 11 major surgeries which allowed her to walk, and as her dad Ralph would say, she inherited the brave and buoyant "Almena's heart." Against all doctors' predictions, she was later able not only to walk, but run and even have her very own healthy miracle baby. Ellie grew up both in Cambridge, MA where she and her parents lived while her dad, who was a Massachusetts State Senator, was in session at the State House, and also Orange, MA, where they lived when the Senate was not in session. She graduated from the Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School in 1962 and from University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1966, with a B.A. in Literature. At the center of her being, Ellie was guided by love. She was deeply feeling and empathetic and celebrated the whole self, the humanity of people. She was implacably and whole-heartedly earnest and at the same time irreverent, both honoring the past and rebelling against less kind aspects of tradition. With a most unconventional spirit full of great kindness, wit, humor and infectious delight in magic in the world, she brought great laughter, healing and love to many. Ellie was of course keenly aware of her congenital physical limitations, but she did not allow physicality to keep her down, instead rising above pain, clearing a bright path all her own, all the while holding most dear what was right in front of her. She taught many what she called the "art of appreciation," and would say "it's not a race." She reminded us to open our hearts, stop and look around – be present in the moment and let serendipity in. Ellie's love for art in all of its forms grew out of this talent for appreciation; she especially believed music to be truly trans-formative, life-affirming, even lifesaving, calling us to what really matters: making love preeminent. With her mighty heart, Ellie forged her own way and led a remarkable life, focusing indelible clarity on the injustice in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s she worked with the Cambridge Head Start Program to support local families and in 1982, she helped to form the Cambridge Peace Commission, focusing on nuclear disarmament and peace education. Later, in the mid-1980s, along with a group of remarkable women, she founded the Nuclear Education Project to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear proliferation. In the 1990s- early 2000s she went on to great success founding her own speaker's bureau, The Lecture Bureau, amplifying powerful messages of peace, nonproliferation and justice for the oppressed, lifting the voices of social justice luminaries and people of great artistic and political influence. Still, she would be quick to remind anyone that her truest life triumph wasn't in what she'd call the trappings of life – she didn't "play the game." What mattered most to Ellie was you. Momma and mentor to many, she focused her art of appreciation on people, too, and changed many people's lives, calling each to their own inner light and compass. Our family has been overwhelmed with love and stories from friends and family reflecting on how she changed their world, blew their minds, guided them to honor their truer selves, touched their lives in a deep and meaningful way – how she not only cared, but did something for them. She was always awed to be loved back, felt so privileged to be alive and a part of our lives, and consistently reminded us that her greatest triumph, her greatest gift, was to have such love in her life. In her last years, Ellie's body became more of a life obstacle, but she was still a force of nature. Her pure and unforgettable strength of spirit continued on, driven by love. Today her counsel rings clear: The risk of a broken heart is more than worth the challenge of love, so rise up, stake your claim and do your dance. What you offer will Shine On, like the moon and the stars and the sun – an arrow into time. Ellie is survived by her husband, Tom Deegan; only child and daughter, Deidre A. Deegan-Firouzbakht; son-in-law, Mahmood Firouzbakht, their children; and Ellie's two beloved grandchildren, Neve and Camron Firouzbakht; as well as her beloved cousin, Sally Waters, all from Cambridge MA, and much extended family across the U.S. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the ACLU at action.aclu.org

View the online memorial for Eleanor DEEGAN