Elizabeth Oakes

05/07/2006

Elizabeth Oakes, 82, of Manitauk Heights, died at home on Sunday following a brief illness. Born in Laurel, Miss., on April 30, 1924, daughter of John S. Street Sr. and Mary Taylor Street, she was a graduate of Chillicothe High School and Miami University of Oxford, both in Ohio. She earned her master's and doctorate degrees in psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge. She was a member of both the Phi Beta Kappa (Miami) and Phi Kappa Phi (U-Mass) Societies. Dr. Oakes worked at the Austen Riggs Center, where she held a variety of positions, including clinical director. She enjoyed supervising and consulting with other professionals, teaching at Smith College School for Social Work, and speaking at professional conferences. Dr. Oakes was a member of the American and Massachusetts Psychological Associations as well as a member of the American Psychological Association's Division of Psychoanalysis. She was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, where she served as senior warden of the vestry and on the altar guild. She also served on the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. Dr. Oakes enjoyed traveling, gardening, murder mysteries and crossword puzzles. She was predeceased by her husband, the Rev. Donald T. Oakes, whom she married in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 20, 1957. He died Feb. 10, 2005. Dr. Oakes leaves two daughters, Mary Jean Weston of Highland Park, N.J., and Catherine Oakes of St. Augustine, Fla.; two sons, David Oakes of Woodstock, N.Y., and Christopher Oakes of Lake Park, FL.; a sister, Jerry Leshner of Hamilton, OH.; a brother, John Street Jr. of Chillicothe, Ohio, and four grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A celebration of the life of Elizabeth S. Oakes, Ph.D., who died Sunday, May 7, 2006, will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge on Thursday, May 11, at 11 a.m. Celebrant at the Rite of Christian Burial will be the Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, Bishop of Western Mass., assisted by the Rev. John T. Tarrant, past Rector of St. Paul's and current Rector of Trinity Church, Pierre, SD.; the Rev. Mark H. Hatch, Interim Rector of St. Paul's, and the Very Rev. Walter H. Taylor, retired dean, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, TX. Interment will follow immediately in the St. Paul's Memorial Garden. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Patient Aid Fund at Austen Riggs Center, the Oakes Fund at Berkshire Country Day School, or the charity of one's choice, all in care of ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. Dr. Oakes enjoyed the company of her family, friends and her dogs, and was beloved by her clients and the staff with which she worked.

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