Obituary for Stephanie Marie Doane (Doane)
Stephanie Marie Doane, 66, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, lost her final battle with pneumonia
on August 6th and passed away in the loving company of her husband Gary Bradshaw and sister
Priscilla Liddle. Stephanie was predeceased by her parents Jack and Patricia and her brothers
David and Nathaniel. She is survived by her sisters Candice, Deborah, and Priscilla, her brother
Patrick, her husband Gary, her beloved Blue and Gold Macaws Bobby and Harlie, Cassie the
ever-loyal German Shepherd, and Dax the Wonder Dog. A celebration of life service is being
planned and details will be provided in a few weeks.
Supporting herself through her undergraduate days at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, Stephanie received her B.A. with high honors in Experimental Psychology in 1979. She
earned her MS at Villanova University in 1983 and completed her Ph.D. at the University of
California, Santa Barbara in 1986. She worked at Bell Labs before transitioning to a Post
Doctoral position at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Stephanie went on to join the faculty
at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and then Mississippi State University, retiring
as a Professor of Psychology.
Stephanie was known for her intelligence, wit, organization, a love of animals, and passion for
gardening. At Mississippi State University, she obtained funding to start the Institute for
Neurocognitive Science and Technology and negotiated a partnership to house the 3.0T fMRI
magnet paid for by the grant. Stephanie published numerous articles on skill acquisition and
cognitive models in addition to obtaining extensive grant funding in support of her research.
Stephanie’s passion for gardening resulted in her homes in Champaign/Urbana and Starkville
being featured on Garden Walks. She rescued several animals, including cockatiels and
parakeets caught by hand outdoors. Stephanie was known as a tough but supportive mentor to
her junior colleagues and graduate students.
After early retirement forced by chronic rheumatoid arthritis, Stephanie continued to take
medications that decreased her immune system response. Perhaps these drugs contributed to
a weakened immune system. When she was admitted to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital on July
22, Stephanie’s pneumonia continued to worsen in spite of aggressive treatment. She was
sedated and put on a ventilator for several days and appeared to be improving. Unfortunately
after two days off the ventilator, Stephanie’s condition worsened suddenly. She chose comfort
care instead of further treatment, knowing her chance of recovery was quite low. In her
passing, Stephanie once again proved she could make wise and tough choices.
Friends are welcome to share stories, photos, and memories of Stephanie on the Bartlett
Funeral Home website.
on August 6th and passed away in the loving company of her husband Gary Bradshaw and sister
Priscilla Liddle. Stephanie was predeceased by her parents Jack and Patricia and her brothers
David and Nathaniel. She is survived by her sisters Candice, Deborah, and Priscilla, her brother
Patrick, her husband Gary, her beloved Blue and Gold Macaws Bobby and Harlie, Cassie the
ever-loyal German Shepherd, and Dax the Wonder Dog. A celebration of life service is being
planned and details will be provided in a few weeks.
Supporting herself through her undergraduate days at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, Stephanie received her B.A. with high honors in Experimental Psychology in 1979. She
earned her MS at Villanova University in 1983 and completed her Ph.D. at the University of
California, Santa Barbara in 1986. She worked at Bell Labs before transitioning to a Post
Doctoral position at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Stephanie went on to join the faculty
at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and then Mississippi State University, retiring
as a Professor of Psychology.
Stephanie was known for her intelligence, wit, organization, a love of animals, and passion for
gardening. At Mississippi State University, she obtained funding to start the Institute for
Neurocognitive Science and Technology and negotiated a partnership to house the 3.0T fMRI
magnet paid for by the grant. Stephanie published numerous articles on skill acquisition and
cognitive models in addition to obtaining extensive grant funding in support of her research.
Stephanie’s passion for gardening resulted in her homes in Champaign/Urbana and Starkville
being featured on Garden Walks. She rescued several animals, including cockatiels and
parakeets caught by hand outdoors. Stephanie was known as a tough but supportive mentor to
her junior colleagues and graduate students.
After early retirement forced by chronic rheumatoid arthritis, Stephanie continued to take
medications that decreased her immune system response. Perhaps these drugs contributed to
a weakened immune system. When she was admitted to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital on July
22, Stephanie’s pneumonia continued to worsen in spite of aggressive treatment. She was
sedated and put on a ventilator for several days and appeared to be improving. Unfortunately
after two days off the ventilator, Stephanie’s condition worsened suddenly. She chose comfort
care instead of further treatment, knowing her chance of recovery was quite low. In her
passing, Stephanie once again proved she could make wise and tough choices.
Friends are welcome to share stories, photos, and memories of Stephanie on the Bartlett
Funeral Home website.